EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 24.4.2025

COM(2025) 179 final

2025/0096(COD)

Proposal for a

DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

on the registration documents for vehicles and vehicle registration data recorded in national vehicle registers and repealing Council Directive 1999/37/EC

{SEC(2025) 119 final} - {SWD(2025) 96 final} - {SWD(2025) 97 final} - {SWD(2025) 98 final} - {SWD(2025) 99 final}

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

•Reasons for and objectives of the proposal

This explanatory memorandum accompanies the proposal for a directive repealing and replacing Council Directive 1999/37/EC of 29 April 1999 on the registration documents for vehicles 1(1) .

Road transport plays a vital role in connecting businesses and consumers across the EU, facilitating trade, and supporting economic growth and employment. However, it is also a source of certain problems, such as road crashes and air pollution.

Road crashes are one of the most devastating consequences of road transport, with significant costs to society. The main causes of road crashes are speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, distracted driving, and various driver errors (such as misjudging a situation or driving while tired). Other causes include the poor state or design of infrastructure (slippery surfaces, inadequate markings and poor maintenance) and vehicle defects. Due to EU type-approval rules and a well-developed system of technical inspections during a vehicle’s lifetime, vehicle defects are the cause of only a small percentage of road crashes in the EU. However, this also means that avoidable crashes caused by vehicle defects still take place. The Safe System approach requires action on all these fronts, recognising that the different parts of the entire system – including users, vehicles, infrastructure, and emergency response - work together as a whole 2(2).

This initiative builds on the 2014 roadworthiness package (RWP), which is composed of the three directives described below. 

Directive 2014/45/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council 3(3) on periodic roadworthiness tests requiring that vehicles used on public roads are periodically tested to ensure compliance with a set of minimum requirements. It applies to all cars, vans, trucks, buses, heavy trailers, faster tractors, and since January 2022, larger two- and three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles. 

Directive 2014/47/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council 4(4) on technical roadside inspections, which has a similar aim as Directive 2014/45/EU, although it concerns roadside inspections of heavy passenger and freight vehicles and their trailers.

Directive 2014/46/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council 5(5) on the registration documents for vehicles.

The 2014 RWP complements the safety and environmental requirements that vehicles must meet to be able to circulate on EU roads, in line with the respective EU type-approval regulations 6(6) for motor vehicles. These regulations also set out the market surveillance requirements for motor vehicles. However, the focus of the RWP is different. Whereas market surveillance provisions aim to ensure that vehicles continue to meet their type-approval requirements when placed on the market, and for a limited period after that, and focus on the manufacturer’s responsibilities, the RWP focuses on ensuring that minimum standards are maintained by owners throughout the vehicle’s lifetime. In addition, while market surveillance requires testing a limited number of vehicles per model, periodic technical inspections (PTIs) apply to almost all registered vehicles. Therefore, the RWP complements the market surveillance legislation in ensuring road safety and vehicles’ environmental performance during their lifetime.

However, unsafe vehicles still circulate on EU roads. This is despite the RWP revision in 2014, other related EU legislation and improvements in vehicle technology, including active safety and intelligent driver assistance systems in new vehicles.  The Directives adopted under the 2014 RWP are not effective in helping enforce rules on EU cross-border traffic and the trade in vehicles.

The Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy 7(7) called for adjustments to the roadworthiness legislative framework to ensure a vehicle's lifetime compliance with emission and safety standards, thereby contributing to the EU road safety policy framework 2021-2030 8(8) and supporting the European Green Deal’s objectives.

This initiative aims to further improve road safety in the EU, contributing to sustainable mobility and facilitating the free movement of people and goods in the EU. In particular, as regards the legislative framework for vehicle registration documents and registration data, the full potential of the roadworthiness framework needs to be unlocked by improving electronic storage and the exchange of relevant vehicle identification and status data, which will address the lack of availability of such data and improve mutual recognition by enforcing authorities. In addition, ensuring more accurate status data (such as mileage) and exchanging information among Member States more efficiently will also help identify vehicles with tampered odometers.

More detailed information on how these objectives and related problems are addressed by the initiative is presented in Chapter 3.

•Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area

The proposed revision of the RWP, in particular the EU legislative framework for registration documents for vehicles, is consistent with the objectives set in the EU road safety policy framework. By reducing fatalities, it will contribute to achieving the objective of cutting fatalities and serious injuries by 50% by 2030. The proposed revision will also ensure alignment with the directives adopted under the road safety package, i.e. the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on driving Licences 9(9) and Directive (EU) 2024/3237 of the European Parliament and of the Council on facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences 10(10). These directives set out the rules on vehicle registration documents, the possible future digitalisation of documents, and the exchange of vehicle-related information among Member States for enforcement. The proposal is also aligned with the requirements for the legislation on end-of-life vehicles (ELV) by providing electronic access to data to the registration authorities of other Member States and by adding new data to the vehicle register, including ELV data.

•Consistency with other Union policies

The revision of the RWP, in particular the EU legislative framework for registration documents for vehicles, is consistent with the Single Digital Gateway Regulation 11(11) by facilitating online access to vehicle-related information, the relevant administrative procedures and assistance and problem-solving services. It also contributes to the objectives of the EU’s data strategy for the development of European data spaces for public administrations that can support the enforcement of legislation, including road safety and environmental legislation.  Rules on the protection of personal data will apply to exchanging information on vehicle registration certificates and roadworthiness certificates, as well as related vehicle registration data, in particular Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and Council (General Data Protection Regulation) 12(12).

The initiative is aligned with Regulation (EU) 2923/854 of the European Parliament and of the Council (the Data Act 13(13)), which standardises the relevant datasets and ensures effective non-discriminatory and secure access for aftermarket and mobility services. 

EU legislation on road tolling 14(14) also relies on the harmonised Union codes currently set out in Directive 1999/37/EC, which were last (slightly) amended as part of the revision of rules on road pricing (Eurovignette Directive) 15(15).

Lastly, the EU Decision on the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 16(16) sets out that the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and Member States should cooperate to achieve digital targets in the EU by 2030. This includes a target for the digitalisation of public services. 100% of key public services should be available online and, where relevant, the public and businesses in the EU should be able to interact with public administrations online. 

2.LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY

•Legal basis

The legal basis of the proposal is Article 91(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU). Article 91(1)(c) TFEU provides that the EU has competence in the field of transport to lay down measures to improve transport safety, including road safety.

•Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)

The EU already has competence in the field of vehicle registration documents and vehicle registration data, by virtue of Directive 1999/37/EC. Various measures have been introduced at EU level in this area since the adoption of this Directive. The latest changes were brought about with the adoption of the 2014 RWP, and with certain modifications to Union codes brought abut by Directive (EU) 2022/362. The new rules to be introduced in this proposal remain within the competences conferred upon the EU under Article 91(1) TFEU, and given their connection to the already existing framework on vehicle registration documents, registration data and roadworthiness, they can only be achieved adequately at EU level.

As road transport and the automotive industry are international sectors, it is much more efficient and effective to address the issues at EU level than at national level. While national practices differ historically, a certain minimum level of harmonisation in vehicle registration and commonly agreed solutions to exchange vehicle data between Member States is more effective than multiple uncoordinated national solutions. Coordinating the conditions of access and exchange of vehicle data at EU level is not only more efficient than bilateral agreements and negotiations with individual manufacturers, but it also levels the playing field among Member States.

There is widespread agreement among national authorities and industry experts that the current Directive is no longer aligned with the latest regulatory and technological developments.  In the absence of EU action, different and piecemeal solutions would be applied, which would lead to even larger differences in the safety and environmental performance of vehicles than today. This would risk distorting the single market and creating further barriers to free movement. The initiative therefore addresses safety and environmental protection needs of ‘Union relevance’.

•Proportionality

In line with the principle of proportionality set out in Article 5(4) of the Treaty on European Union, the measures in this proposal do not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the objectives of the Treaties – namely improving road safety, contributing to sustainable mobility and facilitating the free movement of people and goods in the EU. 

In general, the scope of the proposal is limited to what can best be achieved at EU level in terms of harmonising vehicle registration documents and finding common solutions to ensure efficient sharing and access to vehicle data. 

In addition, the choice of a Directive allows for achieving the objectives by taking the next logical step in the process of gradual harmonisation in this area. It also leaves sufficient room for manoeuvre for Member States to implement the changes in a way that suits their specific national context.  This choice, using minimum requirements instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, will also enable industry to develop the most efficient technical solutions that this continuously evolving field requires.

•Choice of the instrument

To ensure clear and consistent legal drafting, the most suitable legal solution is a complete revision of Directive 1999/37/EC by repealing and replacing it as it is outdated and has not been recast.

3.RESULTS OF EX-POST EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

•Ex-post evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation

In 2023, the Commission conducted an evaluation of the 2014 RWP as a whole, assessing its relevance, EU added value, coherence, effectiveness and efficiency. The evaluation concluded that the RWP was partially successful in achieving its objectives, contributing to better road safety and helping reduce air pollutant emissions from road transport. Defective vehicles may still not always be detected, as some categories of vehicles are not subject to periodic roadworthiness tests (PTIs) or technical roadside inspections (RSIs) in some Member States or the frequency or scope of the testing is not adapted to those vehicles' higher safety and environmental risks. The identified weaknesses in the current RWP require the Directives to be adapted, to address not only current needs but also future challenges.

The conclusions of the evaluation are set out below.

1.     The RWP is not adapted to the latest technologies, such as advanced driver assistance systems and electronic safety features. It lacks specific testing protocols that would ensure the compliance and maintenance of electric, hybrid and hydrogen vehicles, including software updates. Technical inspections would have to be updated for acquiring important safety-related data efficiently and monitoring new sensors and features.

2.     On emissions, some PTI tests and equipment must be adapted as they are no longer capable of detecting emission failures in the most recent internal combustion engine vehicles. Opacity measurement is outdated as it cannot detect diesel vehicles with defective particle filters or a tampered catalyst, which lead to high particle (PN) and nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) emissions. Instead, NOx and PN measurement should be used to check newer diesel and petrol vehicles for defects and tampering with emission control systems.

3.     The current framework for exchanging information on test results between Member States has not been effective. Although the legislation mentions electronic data exchanges between Member States' authorities as a possibility, not all Member States implement this. Even if the harmonisation of vehicle registration documents made it easier for people to register vehicles from other Member States and the European Economic Area, there is room to improve the digitalisation process. Re-registration can still be a cumbersome process and there is scope to improve mutual recognition of PTIs between the Member States.

4.    The RWP should make better use of the benefits of digital data exchange and further harmonise vehicle documents to reduce the administrative burden and costs. In addition, digital vehicle registration documents could further facilitate digitalising vehicle registration and data-keeping processes and reduce costs. 

5.   The coherence between the RWP and relevant EU instruments could be improved by standardising safety-relevant vehicle data and the related responsibilities for manufacturers during the vehicle’s lifecycle. Clarifying responsibilities and mandating that relevant information is made available for PTIs across Member States could reduce uncertainty and the time spent searching for information, which could improve the overall accuracy and efficiency of inspections. The RWP should be also better aligned with Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 of the European Parliament and of the Council 17(17).

•Stakeholder consultations

The consultations had two objectives. The first was to assess the performance of the RWP as a whole against the five evaluation criteria, identify possible issues with the existing legal framework and, on this basis, learn lessons for future action. The second objectives was to work with stakeholders to validate the Commission’s understanding of the issues at hand, draw up a list of possible policy measures and assess their likely impacts on the various categories of stakeholders. The consultations also gathered evidence on expected costs and benefits of the draft policy measures. They helped to identify gaps in the intervention logic or areas requiring further attention. The consultation activities consisted of public consultations (via an inception impact assessment and an open public consultation published on the Commission’s Have your say website) and targeted consultations, including surveys and interviews. The targeted consultation activities were carried out throughout the evaluation and impact assessment process and covered all relevant aspects. The focus of the surveys and interviews were on drawing up the different policy measures to meet the objectives set as part of the RWP’s revision, particularly to identify and quantify the costs and potential impact of these measures. The problem drivers and the possible policy measures of the RWP were extensively discussed with stakeholders, e.g. in the Expert Group on Roadworthiness and Vehicle Registration Documents (RWEG), and are also a result of the evaluation’s stakeholder consultation activities. 

A broad range of stakeholders was consulted, including (i) public authorities in charge of road safety (including their representative associations, such as EReg and CORTE); (ii) industry associations and companies (including their representative associations, such as CITA and EGEA, vehicle manufacturers and vehicle component suppliers); (iii) user group representatives; (iv) research organisations and road safety NGOs; and (v) the public.

•Collection and use of expertise

A wide range of experts from Member States, industry and other stakeholder groups was consulted during the preparatory work on the issues related to roadworthiness testing, roadside inspection and vehicle registers. Three dedicated workshops took place where the members of the Expert Group on Roadworthiness and Vehicle Registration Documents discussed the technical elements of the proposal.  The Commission contracted two external consultants to carry out specific support studies underpinning the evaluation and the impact assessment. This input was complemented by ad hoc consultations of industry experts and the Commission’s own experience in monitoring and implementing the RWP.  

•Impact assessment

This proposal is accompanied by an impact assessment report, which also covers the amendments to Directives 2014/45/EU and 2014/47/EU, a draft of which was submitted to the Regulatory Scrutiny Board (RSB) on 20 November 2023. The RSB issued a positive opinion with reservations on 15 December 2023 18(18). The impact assessment report was adjusted accordingly to address the RSB’s comments. The analysed policy options are summarised below.

Four policy options (PO1a, PO1b, PO2, PO3) were designed to address the problems. All policy options adapt PTIs to electric vehicles and include new test items through ePTIs (including testing software integrity of safety- and emission-relevant systems). They also include new emission test methods for particles and NOx, which are necessary to adapt to more recent emission control technologies and to identify high-emitting vehicles, including those that have been tampered with. All policy options require a roadworthiness test following any significant modification, for example, a change to the propulsion system or the emission class. Digitalising the roadworthiness certificate, linking national vehicle registers and extending the set of harmonised vehicle data in those registers is also required in all policy options. They also require Member States to record odometer readings in national databases and to make those records available to other Member States when a vehicle is re-registered.

In addition to the common measures, policy option PO1a focuses on a more efficient use of vehicle (registration and status) data, including issuing registration certificates in digital format. Policy option PO1b focuses on more effective technical inspections using remote sensing technology, which helps identify potentially high-emitting vehicles that can be either: (i) inspected at a subsequent roadside check immediately after being identified; or (ii) invited to a roadworthiness centre for an emission test. This option would also: (i) remove the possibility to exempt motorcycles from PTIs; (ii) require yearly emission testing of light commercial vehicles; (iii) make the inspection of cargo securing mandatory; and (iv) bring in mandatory annual PTIs for vehicles older than 10 years. PO1b would facilitate the free movement of people, by requiring that the Member State of registration recognises the PTI certificate issued by another Member State for a period of up to six months, provided that the next PTI is conducted in the Member State of registration.

Policy option PO2 combines most of the measures proposed in PO1a and PO1b. It includes an additional measure on data governance, aiming to set out the procedures and the means of access to vehicle technical information (including in-vehicle data). PO2 also introduces roadside inspections for light commercial vehicles and, like PO1b, mandatory annual PTIs for vehicles older than 10 years.

Policy option PO3 is the most ambitious policy option as it goes even further on harmonising the scope and methods of roadworthiness testing and the mutual recognition of PTI certificates. In addition to the measures in PO2, PO3: (i) further extends the scope of PTI to cover all motorcycles, without exception, and light trailers; (ii) extends RSI to all motorcycles; and (iii) requires that PTI certificates issued in any other Member State are recognised by the Member State of registration without restrictions.

The impact assessment concludes that the preferred option is policy option PO2. This option is considered to be effective in reaching the intended policy objectives, presenting high efficiency and high net benefits and being internally coherent and proportionate to the initiative’s objectives. It is also coherent with the well-established national policies in the field. 

The policy options are expected to improve road safety in the EU by more effectively identifying vehicles with major and dangerous defects, which should lead to a reduction in road crashes caused by technical defects. As a result, the number of fatalities and injuries (both serious and light) should decrease. The policy options also include other measures contributing to road safety, which relate to better implementation and enforcement of the roadworthiness legislation (such as the exchange of data among Member States’ authorities). Under the preferred policy option PO2, it is estimated that around 7,000 lives will be saved and around 65,000 serious injuries will be avoided between 2026 and 2050, compared with the baseline scenario. In monetary terms, the reduction in the external costs of accidents is estimated at around EUR 74.2 billion, expressed as present value over the same period, compared with the baseline. All policy options will also contribute to sustainable mobility by reducing air pollutant and noise emissions. This will lead to a reduction in the external costs of these emissions: the savings in PO2 being are estimated to be EUR 83.4 billion.

All policy options will facilitate the free movement of people and goods in the EU by removing obstacles to re-registering vehicles in another Member State.  PO1a, PO2 and PO3 are expected to be similarly effective, while PO1b is expected to be less effective due to the absence of measures on mobile vehicle registration certificates and additional data included in the vehicle register.

On removing obstacles related to roadworthiness testing, PO3 is expected to be the most effective option because it extends EU-wide recognition of PTI certificates to all vehicles, followed by PO2 and PO1b (limited EU-wide recognition of PTI certificates). PO1a is expected to be the least effective.

The safety of vehicles is a core element of the Safe System approach and a core principle of the 2020 United Nations Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety 19(19). The initiative also contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), including targets 3.6 (halving the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents) and 3.9 (substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination). It is also consistent with the environmental objectives of the European Green Deal and the European Climate Law 20(20).

•Regulatory fitness and simplification

As part of the regulatory fitness programme (REFIT) 21(21), this initiative contributes to increasing the efficiency of the existing legislation by interconnecting national databases to help share and access vehicle data, rather than relying on more cumbersome procedures. The initiative is expected to significantly reduce fraud related to emission and safety-relevant systems as well mileage tampering in used vehicles, especially in cross-border sales.  This would lead to significant savings in external costs as well as in avoided cost and damage to consumers.

The initiative encompasses the "digital by default" principle 22(22) promoting digital transformation where possible. For example, the mandatory electronic format of vehicle registration certificates should have a positive impact on digital transformation in the EU. For the re-registration process, authorities and the public will save time and money by moving away from exchanging information and data via email. Authorities and the public will also save time and money thanks to the mobile registration certificate, which will make accessing and exchanging of the relevant information easier and faster.

The ‘one in, one out’ approach offsets any new burden for people and businesses resulting from the Commission proposals by removing an equivalent existing burden in the same policy area. The replacement of Directive 1999/37/EC is expected to result in administrative costs for testing centres and vehicle manufacturers due to the data governance measures. Overall, the one-off administrative costs for the 'one in, one out' approach in the preferred option are estimated at EUR 218 million in 2026 and the recurrent administrative costs at EUR 26.4 million per year.

•Fundamental rights

The proposal maintains full respect for human and fundamental rights, and it will have no negative impact on the fundamental rights set out the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. 23(23) The rules on vehicle registration certificates and vehicle registration data are also aligned with the applicable EU data protection legislation. 

The proposal contains measures designed to combat odometer fraud, which will help to increase consumer protection (Article 38). Providing for the mutual recognition of roadworthiness certificates and digitalising the registration process (including the certificates) will contribute to the freedom of movement and residence (Article 45). Measures to ensure that owners of non-tampered vehicles are not disadvantaged compared with those of tampered vehicles will help promote equality before the law (Article 3).

During the consultations, some stakeholders expressed concern over the data privacy issues in the common measures for electronic roadworthiness certificates and the access to them. From a road safety perspective, the automatic access to certificates through a shared system has significant advantages, particularly in facilitating cross-border inspections and improving consumer convenience. However, implementation of a digital roadworthiness certificate requires carefully examining potential privacy issues and drawing up robust privacy protection measures.

4.BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

The implications for the EU budget are mainly related to extending the features of the IT data exchange system (the MOVE-HUB) linked to the revision of the RWP. This includes one-off adaptation costs and recurrent updates and maintenance costs. These are required to add new data elements to the vehicle registersand providing electronic access to certain data (including on PTI reports stored in national databases). The associated costs are estimated at EUR 0.2 million in one-off costs and EUR 0.05 million per year in recurrent costs.

5.OTHER ELEMENTS

•Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements

The Commission will monitor the implementation and effectiveness of this initiative through several actions and a set of core indicators that will measure progress towards achieving the operational objectives. To measure the success of the initiative, the following operational objectives are set: (i) interconnect Member States’ vehicle registers through a common hub; (ii) digitalise vehicle documents; and (iii) reduce the number of defective and tampered vehicles on EU roads. The data for assessing these operational objectives will draw on regular reporting by Member States as well as ad hoc data collection efforts, including the use of data exchange systems, such as the MOVE-HUB.

Five years after the revised legislation enters into application, the Commission will carry out an evaluation to assess to what extent the objectives of the initiative have been reached.

•Detailed explanation of the specific provisions of the proposal

The proposal for a new Directive on registration documents for vehicles and vehicle registration data recorded in national vehicle registers is structured around the main policy objectives referred to in Chapter 1 of this explanatory memorandum, which serves the purpose of improving road safety in the EU, contributing to sustainable mobility, and facilitating the free movement of persons and goods in the EU.  The main provisions of Directive are the following

Article 1 defines the subject matter of the Directive and its scope, by specifying the areas for which it lays down common rules.

Article 2 introduces definitions of certain key concepts used in the proposal.

Article 3 introduces general rules applicable to vehicle registration certificates, in particular by distinguishing between physical and mobile vehicle registration certificates.

Article 4 lays down detailed requirements for physical registration certificates. It makes provision for issuing physical registration certificates in smart card format.  Article 4 also makes provision for a QR code on physical registration certificates, to make it easier and quicker to check the information contained therein. 

Article 5 lays down detailed requirements for the introduction of mobile vehicle registration certificates, including provisions related to the European Digital Identity Wallet provided for in Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council 24(24). The technical specifications for mobile registration certificates are set out in Annex III.

Article 6 specifies the data to be recorded (and kept up to date) in national vehicle registers.  Besides a specified set of data listed in Annex I, this article specifies additional data to be recorded in those vehicle registers, including the outcome of mandatory periodic roadworthiness tests, information on changes to the ownership of vehicles and information on reasons for the cancellation of a vehicle registration.  

Article 7 provided that any personal data used for the verification of a vehicle’s registration status may not be retained by the verifier, unless authorised by EU or national law.

Article 8 regulates electronically recording a vehicle’s suspension from road use in national registers after it fails a roadworthiness test. It also includes provisions on: (i) retesting such vehicles; (ii) electronically recording the end of a vehicle’s suspension in national registers; and (iii) cancelling the registration of a vehicle treated as an end-of-life vehicle.

Article 9 requires the mutual recognition of physical and mobile vehicle registration certificates in order to identify a vehicle in international traffic or to re-register a vehicle in another Member State.  

Article 10 outlines the procedure for re-registering vehicles in another Member State, both for cases where physical and mobile vehicle registration certificates were issued.  It also sets out the procedures for withdrawing or revoking the registration certificates.

Article 11 requires Member States to designate contact points for exchanging information with each other, and with the Commission, to facilitate the smooth operation of the Directive

Articles 12 and 13 contain standard provisions to enable the Commission to adopt delegated acts to amend certain provisions of the annexes in the event of EU enlargement, changes to definitions or the content of certificates of conformity in EU type-approval legislation or developments of a technical, operational or scientific nature.

Article 14 establishes a committee and contains references to Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers 25(25). This enables the Commission to adopt implementing acts where needed.

Article 15 requires Member States to assist one another in implementing this Directive, in particular by providing access to relevant vehicle registration data, including data on roadworthiness and the suspension of vehicles.  To facilitate this exchange of data, Member States will be required to interconnect their registers with the Commission’s MOVE-HUB system so that this information can be exchanged in real time.

Article 16 requires Member States to send certain data to the Commission every three years. The Commission will then transmit this data to the European Parliament and the Council.

Article 17 contains a provision on transposition.

Article 18 contains a standard provision setting the conditions of repeal of Directive 1999/37/EC.

Article 19 contains a standard provision setting the entry into force of the Directive.

Article 20 contains a standard provision stipulating that the Directive is addressed to Member States.

Annex I stipulates the requirements for Part I of the registration certificate, including in its paper and smart card format. It sets out the mandatory and optional data to be included. It also sets out the specifications for the paper format, including paper size, and security features. For the smart card format, Annex I sets out detailed technical requirements (including security features, data storage and protection, data verification and storage capacity) and lists the applicable ISO standards.  

Annex II sets out the equivalent requirements for Part II of the registration certificate, again for physical and smart card formats.

Annex III sets out the specifications for the mobile registration certificates, including the relevant ISO standard, and the requirements to enable people to store and retrieve the mobile certificate in their European Digital Identity Wallet.

2025/0096 (COD)

Proposal for a

DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

on the registration documents for vehicles and vehicle registration data recorded in national vehicle registers and repealing Council Directive 1999/37/EC

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 91(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee 26(1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions 27(2),

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure,

Whereas:

(1)The registration of a vehicle provides the administrative authorisation for its entry into service in road traffic.

(2)Council Directive 1999/37/EC 28 (3) lays down common standards for vehicle registration documents for Member States. It also requires that Member States help each other implement the Directive and indicates that this may be done by exchanging vehicle-related information by electronic means, but does not actually require such a data exchange, hindering communication and information exchange among Member States.

(3)To facilitate the checking and verification of vehicle registration certificates, further harmonisation of the form and content of those certificates is required. 

(4)Harmonisation of the registration certificates and the sharing of information recorded in the vehicle register will also facilitate the re-registering of vehicles that have previously been registered in another Member State, and will contribute to the proper functioning of the internal market.

(5)To take account of the need for digitalisation, to strengthen Union competitiveness and to reduce administrative burdens, both physical and mobile registration certificates should be harmonised. Such certificates should be fully equivalent and contain exactly the same information.

(6)To make it easier and faster to check information on physical certificates, Member States should be able to include a QR code on registration certificates, including those in smart card formats. It should also be possible to issue physical registration certificates in smart card format with a microchip, provided that certain technical specifications are followed.

(7)The digital transformation is one of the Union’s priorities. It is important to remove the remaining barriers, including the administrative burden associated with the re-registration of vehicles. This can impede the free movement of people, and their right to circulate freely within the Union and to take up residence in a Member State other than the one where their vehicle is currently registered. Therefore, as from [date of entry into force + 4 years], mobile registration certificates should be issued by default without affecting the applicant’s right to also request a physical registration certificate. To ensure interoperability of mobile registration certificates across the Union, technical specifications for those certificates should be set out. This will also make it possible to ensure vehicle registration certificates can be checked and verified.

(8)To reduce costs for citizens and businesses, mobile registration certificates should be issued free of charge to the European Digital Identity Wallets issued in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council 29 (4). 

(9)To facilitate cross-border movements, in particular the re-registration of vehicles, Member States should electronically record all required data on all vehicles registered in their territory and keep that data up to date at all times. That data will help: improve the accuracy of vehicle registers; ensure better law enforcement; combat vehicle fraud and theft; improve the exchange of information between Member States; and facilitate checking the status of vehicles due for export.

(10)It should be ensured that personal data processing for the implementation of thisDirective complies with the data protection framework of the Union. In particular, any personal data used in the verification of a vehicle’s registration data should not retained by the verifier, unless such retention is authorised by Union or national law.

(11)Roadworthiness testing is a part of a wider regime that ensures vehicles are kept in a safe and environmentally acceptable condition during their use. That roadworthiness regime requires that a vehicle’s authorisation to be used in road traffic be suspended where the vehicle constitutes a risk to road safety. To reduce the administrative burden resulting from suspension, it is not necessary to go through a new registration process when the suspension is lifted. In order to ensure that registers are accurate and up to date, where the authorisation of a vehicle for use on public roads has been suspended following a roadworthiness test, the suspension should also be recorded electronically in the register until the vehicle has passed a new roadworthiness test. 

(12)To ensure that vehicle registers are accurate and up to date, when a vehicle has been treated as an end-of-life vehicle in accordance with Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 30 (5), the registration of that vehicle should be cancelled permanently and that information added to the electronic register.

(13)For the purpose of identifying a vehicle in road traffic, for a transitional period, Member States should be able to require the driver to carry Part I of the physical registration certificate. Thereafter, Member States should accept both physical and mobile registration certificates for that purpose.

(14)When re-registering a vehicle previously registered in another Member State, the competent authorities should, during a transitional period, require Part I of the physical registration certificate to be submitted. However, to facilitate free movement of people and to reduce the administrative burden, the competent authorities should also be allowed to accept the presentation of the mobile registration certificate during that period, if it was issued. After the transitional period, when re-registering a vehicle previously registered in another Member State, the competent authorities should accept both Part I of the physical registration certificate and the presentation of the mobile registration certificate.

(15)To ensure that vehicle registers are accurate and up to date, when re-registering a vehicle, the competent authorities should verify with the Member State of registration which format(s) of the registration certificate were issued. Where a physical registration certificate was issued, the competent authorities should withdraw the part(s) of that certificate submitted, and should, without undue delay, inform the authorities of the issuing Member State of the withdrawal.  Where a mobile registration certificate is presented, the competent authorities should, also without undue delay, inform the authorities of the issuing Member State, and the latter should immediately revoke that certificate. Information on the previous certificate in the vehicle register should be retained for 12 months.

(16)To facilitate the smooth operation of the regime introduced by this Directive, particularly in a cross-border context, Member States should designate a national contact point responsible for exchanging information in a timely manner with the other Member States and with the Commission. 

(17)In order to ensure the Annexes remain up to date, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 TFEU should be delegated to the Commission in respect of the amendment of certain parts of Annexes I, II and III in the event of enlargement of the Union, in relation to non-mandatory elements in the event of changes in the content of certificates of conformity in the relevant Union type-approval legislation, or in order to take account of technical, operational or scientific developments.  It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, and that those consultations be conducted in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making 31 (6). In particular, to ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council should receive all documents at the same time as Member States' experts, and their experts systematically have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated acts. 

(18)In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Directive, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission to specify: interoperability features and security measures applicable to the QR codes introduced on physical registration certificates; the interoperability, security and testing of mobile registration certificates; including verification features and the interface with national systems; relevant data from the certificate of conformity in electronic format as provided for in Article 37 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council 32 (7); the necessary arrangements for implementing the functionalities of the MOVE-HUB electronic system; and the format of data to be communicated by Member States to the Commission through the e-platform. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council 33 (8).  

(19)To combat fraud and the illegal trade in stolen vehicles, Member States should assist one another in the implementation of this Directive. This should include providing access to relevant registration data and roadworthiness information, including suspensions, to the registration authorities in other Member States.

(20)To facilitate the exchange of data, Member States should interconnect their vehicle registers and electronic systems on roadworthiness certificates with the Commission’s MOVE-HUB system, so that competent authorities are able to consult the register of another Member State in real time.

(21)To enable the Commission to analyse the state of play in the Member States and to propose initiatives on a sound factual basis, Member States should communicate data to the Commission on the vehicles registered in their territory, including the number of physical and mobile registration certificates issued, the number of re-registrations of vehicles previously registered in another Member State, and the number of vehicle registrations suspended. The Commission should transmit the data collected to the European Parliament and to the Council

(22)The objectives of this Directive, namely the achievement of a harmonised Union vehicle registration framework, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States acting alone. This is because national rules governing registration documents, registration data and cooperation with other Member States would lead to requirements so diverse that the level of road safety and free movement of people intended by those harmonised rules could not be achieved. Consequently, such objectives are better achieved at Union level. Therefore, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve those objectives.

(23)In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of 28 September 2011 of Member States and the Commission on explanatory documents 34 (9), Member States have undertaken to accompany, in justified cases, the notification of their transposition measures with one or more documents explaining the relationship between the components of a directive and the corresponding parts of national transposition instruments. With regard to this Directive, the legislator considers the transmission of such documents to be justified.

(24)Directive 1999/37/EC should be repealed,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Chapter I
General provisions

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

1.This Directive lays down common rules on the following:

(a)the vehicle registration documents issued by the Member States;

(b)certain data to be recorded in national vehicle registers;

(c)the exchange of such data between Member States.

2.This Directive shall not apply to documents for the temporary registration of vehicles, unless such documents meet the requirements of this Directive, in which case, they shall be mutually recognised by Member States in accordance with Article 9 .

Article 2

Definitions

For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions apply:

(1)‘vehicle’ means any vehicle as defined in Article 3, point 15 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858 or in Article 3, point 11 of Regulation (EU) No 167/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council 35 (10), and any vehicle referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council 36 (11);

(2)‘registration’ means the administrative authorisation for the entry into service in road traffic of a vehicle, involving the identification of the latter and the issuing to it of a serial number, to be known as the registration number;

(3)‘registration certificate’ means the document which certifies that the vehicle is registered in a Member State, whether in a physical format, a digital format, or both;

(4)‘physical registration certificate’ means a registration certificate in its paper or smart card format;

(5)‘mobile registration certificate’ means a registration certificate in its digital format;

(6)‘holder of the registration certificate’ means the legal or natural person in whose name a vehicle is registered;

(7)‘suspension’ means a limited period of time in which a vehicle is not authorised by a Member State to be used in road traffic following which – provided the reasons for suspension have ceased to apply – it may be authorised to be used again without involving a new process of registration.

Chapter II
Registration certificates

Article 3

General requirements for registration certificates

1.Member States shall issue registration certificates for vehicles which are subject to registration under their national legislation. The certificates shall comply with the requirements laid down in Article 4, as regards physical registration certificates, and Article 5 as regards mobile registration certificates. 

2.A vehicle shall not be the subject of more than one registration certificate, except as set out in paragraphs 4 and 5.  However, a mobile registration certificate may be displayed on several mobile devices.

3.Until [entry into force + 4 years], Member States shall issue physical registration certificates. They may also issue mobile registration certificates in addition to the physical certificates.

4.With effect from [entry into force + 4 years + 1 day], Member States shall only issue mobile registration certificates.  However, upon request of the applicant, Member States shall also issue a physical registration certificate.

5.Member States shall ensure that physical and mobile registration certificates issued for the same vehicle are issued to the same person and contain identical information, as set out in Annexes I and II.

6.Member States shall communicate any new specimen of the physical vehicle registration certificate and the description of the set of data of mobile vehicle registration certificates to the Commission and to the other Member States without undue delay. The Commission shall publish those specimens and descriptions of sets of data on its dedicated webpage.

Article 4

Physical registration certificates

1.Physical registration certificates shall consist of either a single part as set out in Annex I or two parts as set out in Annexes I and II. Member States may authorise the appropriate services they appoint, in particular those of the manufacturers, to complete the technical parts of the registration certificate.

2.Where a new physical registration certificate is issued for a vehicle registered prior to the implementation of Directive 1999/37/EC, Member States may limit the particulars shown therein to those for which the required data are available.

3.The data given in the physical registration certificate, as set out in Annexes I and II, shall be represented by the harmonised Union codes as set out in those Annexes.

4.Member States may decide to print a QR code on the physical registration certificates in paper format which they issue. The QR code shall allow the verification of the authenticity of the information reported on the physical registration certificate.

5.Physical registration certificates issued in a smart card format may contain a microchip in accordance with the requirements set out in Annexes I and II. If this is not the case Member States may decide to print or engrave, in the space reserved for that purpose, a QR code on the registration certificates issued by them.

6.The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down detailed provisions concerning the interoperability features for QR codes printed on physical registration certificates, and the security measures with which those codes are to comply. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 14(2).

7.Member States shall inform the Commission of any measure aimed at the introduction of a QR code on their registration certificates, or of any change of such measure, within three months of its adoption.  

Article 5

Mobile registration certificates

1.Mobile registration certificates shall comply with the specifications in Annex III.

2.Member States shall ensure that mobile registration certificates are issued free of charge as electronic attestations of attributes to the European Digital Identity Wallets in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 910/2014., The wallets shall provide authorised persons with the possibility to do at least the following:

(a)to retrieve and store data to verify the authorisation of the vehicle to be used in road traffic;

(b)to display and transfer the data referred to in point (a).

3.Member States shall provide the Commission with a list of trusted issuers of mobile vehicle registration certificates. They shall keep that list up to date. The Commission shall make those lists available to the public through a secure channel and in an electronically signed or sealed form suitable for automated processing.

4.By [entry into force + 2 years], the Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down detailed provisions concerning the technical specifications of mobile registration certificates, including verification features and the interface with national systems, and procedures for notifying trusted issuers of mobile registration certificates. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 14(2).

Chapter III
General obligations

Article 6

Data recorded in vehicle registers

1.Member States shall record electronically, in vehicle registers, all data listed in Annex I, points 2(e), (f) and (g), on all vehicles registered on their territory.

In addition, the vehicle registers shall include:

(a)relevant data from the certificate of conformity in electronic format as provided for in Article 37 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858.

(b)the outcome of mandatory periodic roadworthiness tests in accordance with Directive 2014/45/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council 37 (12) and the period of validity of the roadworthiness certificate, including the outcome of periodic roadworthiness tests carried out in, and the validity of the certificate issued by, a Member State other than the Member State of registration in accordance with Article 4(3) and (4) of Directive 2014/45/EU.

(c)information on any significant modification of the safety or environmental systems and components of the vehicle;

(d)information on the previous holder and, where available, the previous owner of the vehicle; 

(e)information on any change to the ownership of vehicles, including vehicles which are not authorised to be used in road traffic due to suspension in accordance with Article 8, or due to the temporary de-registration of the vehicle; 

(f)the country where the vehicle was registered for the first time; 

(g)information on reasons for cancellation of a registration of the vehicle, where that vehicle: 

(i)has been treated as an end-of-life vehicle and a certificate of destruction has been issued in accordance with Article 5(3) of Directive 2000/53/EC;

(ii)has been re-registered in a different Member State, upon confirmation by the new Member State of registration;

(iii)has been exported outside the Union, upon presentation of customs documents; 

(iv)has been stolen or otherwise unlawfully taken over, as confirmed by a police report issued to the last vehicle owner;

(v)has been registered in breach of the requirements on vehicle registration under Union or national law;

(vi)has been registered under an incorrect Vehicle Identification Number; and

(vii)has been subject to cancellation of its registration for any other reasons. 

The information referred to in the first and second subparagraphs shall be kept up to date.

2.The Commission may adopt implementing acts specifying the relevant data referred to in paragraph 1, second subparagraph, point (a). Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure laid down in Article 14(2).

Article 7

Verification of vehicle registration data

Member States shall ensure that the personal data necessary for the verification of the information reported on the physical registration certificate or mobile registration certificate are not retained by the verifier, unless retention is authorised by Union or national law. They shall also ensure that the issuing authority of the registration certificate is not notified about the verification process of physical vehicle registration certificates, and that it processes the information received through the notification only for the purpose of responding to the verification request for mobile vehicle registration certificates.

Article 8

1.Where the competent authority of a Member State receives notification of a periodic roadworthiness test showing that the authorisation to use a particular vehicle in road traffic has been suspended in accordance with Article 9 of Directive 2014/45/EU, the suspension shall be recorded electronically in the vehicle register. 

2.The suspension shall be effective until the vehicle has passed a new roadworthiness test. On successful completion of the roadworthiness test, the competent authority shall without delay re-authorise the use of the vehicle in road traffic, and the end of the suspension shall be electronically recorded in the vehicle register. No new process of registration shall be necessary.

3.Member States may adopt measures to facilitate the retesting of a vehicle the authorisation of which for use in road traffic has been suspended. Those measures may include the grant of permission to travel on public roads between a place of repair and a test centre for the purpose of a roadworthiness test.

4.Where the competent authority of a Member State receives notification that a vehicle has been treated as an end-of-life vehicle in accordance with Article 5 of Directive 2000/53/EC the registration of that vehicle shall be cancelled permanently and information to that effect shall be added to the vehicle register.

Article 9

Mutual recognition

1.A physical registration certificate issued by a Member State in accordance with Article 4 shall be recognised by the other Member States for the identification of the vehicle in international traffic or for its re-registration in another Member State.

2.A mobile registration certificate issued by a Member State in accordance with Article 5 shall be recognised by the other Member States for the identification of the vehicle in international traffic or for its re-registration in another Member State with effect from [entry into force + 4 years + 1 day].

Article 10

Identification and re-registration of vehicles

1.Until [date of entry into force + 4 years], Member States may require that the driver carry Part I of the physical registration certificate to identify a vehicle in road traffic.  After that date, Member States shall accept both physical and mobile registration certificates for that purpose.

2.Until [date of entry into force + 4 years] the competent authorities shall require the submission of only Part I of the physical registration certificate when re-registering a vehicle previously registered in another Member State. Until that date, they may also accept the presentation of a mobile registration certificate, if any.

3.From [entry into force + 4 years +1 day], Member States shall accept both Part I of the physical registration certificate and the presentation of the mobile registration certificate for the purposes of re-registering a vehicle previously registered in another Member State. The re-registering Member State shall verify with the Member State of registration which format(s) of the registration certificates have been issued.

4.Where only a physical registration certificate was issued, the competent authorities of the re-registering Member State shall withdraw the part(s) of the registration certificate submitted and shall keep the withdrawn part(s) for 12 months. They shall, without undue delay:

(a) inform the authorities of the Member State which issued the certificate of such withdrawal;

(b) return the relevant part(s) to those authorities if they so request. 

5.Where only a mobile registration certificate was issued, the competent authorities of the re-registering Member State shall, without undue delay, inform the authorities of the Member State which issued that certificate. The competent authorities of that Member State shall immediately revoke the previous mobile registration certificate and shall keep the information contained in the previous registration in the vehicle register for 12 months.

6.Where both a physical and a mobile registration certificate were issued, the steps in both paragraphs 4 and 5 shall be followed.

Article 11

Administrative cooperation between Member States

1.Member States shall designate a national contact point responsible for exchanging information with the other Member States and the Commission with regard to the implementation of this Directive. Member States shall ensure that their respective national contact points cooperate with each other in order to ensure that all necessary information is shared in due time.

2.Member States shall forward to the Commission the names and contact details of their national contact point by [date of transposition], and shall inform it without delay of any changes thereto. The Commission shall draw up a list of all contact points and forward it to the Member States.

Chapter IV
Implementing acts and delegated acts

Article 12

Delegated acts

The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 13 in order to amend:

(a)point 2(d)(ii) and point 3(a)(i)(2) of Annex I and point 2(d)(ii) and point 3(a)(i)(2) of Annex II, in the event of enlargement of the Union,

(b)point 2(f) of Annex I and Annex II in relation to non-mandatory elements in the event of changes of the content or definitions of certificates of conformity in the relevant Union type-approval legislation, as well as in order to take account of technical, operational or scientific developments,

(c)Tables 2 and 3 in both Annex I and Annex II, in order to list the tags identifying the data objects corresponding to the mandatory and optional registration data.

(d)Annex III, in order to take account of technical, operational or scientific developments.

Article 13

Exercise of the delegation 

1.The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.

2.The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 12 shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of five years from [date of entry into force]. The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before the end of the five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period.

3.The delegation of powers referred to in Article 12 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.

4.Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consult experts designated by each Member State in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making. 

5.As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.

6.A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 12 shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed by either the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.

Article 14

Committee procedure

1.The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.

2.Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply. Where the opinion of the committee is to be obtained by written procedure, that procedure shall be terminated without result when, within the time limit for delivery of the opinion, the chair of the committee so decides or a simple majority of committee members so request. Where the committee delivers no opinion, the Commission shall not adopt the implementing act and Article 5(4), third subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.

Chapter V
Final provisions 

Article 15

Exchange of data

1.Member States shall assist one another in the implementation of this Directive. They shall exchange information relating to vehicle registration data, data on the last roadworthiness certificate, any technical roadside inspection report, and the odometer history of the vehicle stored in national databases, in particular so as to check, before any registration of a vehicle, that vehicle's legal status, where necessary in the Member State in which it was previously registered. 

In particular, Member States shall provide access to relevant registration data [in accordance with Article 6, including the information contained in the latest roadworthiness certificate issued in accordance with Directive 2014/45/EU, suspensions under Article 8, and any available information on restrictions affecting re-registration, stored in national vehicle registers, to the registration authorities in other Member States.

2.Member States shall interconnect their national vehicle registers and electronic systems on roadworthiness certificates via the MOVE-HUB electronic system developed by the Commission in such a way that a competent authority of any Member State is able to consult the vehicle register of any other Member State in real time.  That interconnection shall be operational within one year after the adoption of the implementing act referred to in paragraph 4.

3.Access to the MOVE-HUB network shall be secured. Member States may connect only the authorities competent for the purposes referred to in paragraphs 1.

4.By [date of entry into force + 2 years], the Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the necessary arrangements for the implementation of the functionalities of the electronic system referred to in paragraph 2, and specifying the minimum requirements for the format and content of the message to be used by Member States. It shall specify which authority is responsible for access to data and further use. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 14(2). 

Article 16

Communication of information to the Commission

1.By 31 March 2030, and by 31 March of each third year thereafter, Member States shall communicate to the Commission through the online reporting platform referred to in Article 28 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council 38 (13) (‘e-platform’), the data relating to the vehicles registered in their territory during each of the previous three calendar years. The data shall comprise (per calendar year):

(a)the number of physical registration certificates issued, per vehicle category;

(b)the number of mobile registration certificates issued, per vehicle category;

(c)the number of re-registrations of vehicles previously registered in another Member State, per vehicle category;

(d)the number of vehicle registrations suspended, per vehicle category;

The first report shall cover the years 2027, 2028, and 2029, separately. 

The Commission shall transmit the data collected to the European Parliament and to the Council.

2.Commission shall adopt implementing acts specifying the format in which the data referred to in paragraph 1 are to be communicated through the e-platform. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 14(2).

Article 17

Transposition

1.Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by [date-of-entry into force + 2 years] at the latest. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions.

When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.

2.Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

Article 18

Repeal

1.Directive 1999/37/EC is repealed with effect from [date of entry into force + 2 years].

2.References to Directive 1999/37/EC shall be construed as references to this Directive and be read in accordance with the correlation table in Annex IV.

Article 19

Entry into force

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Article 20

Addressees

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels,

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL AND DIGITAL STATEMENT

1.FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

1.1.Title of the proposal/initiative

Proposal for a Directive amending Directive 2014/45/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC and amending Directive 2014/47/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on the technical roadside inspection of the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles circulating in the union and repealing directive 2000/30/EC;

Proposal for a directive repealing and replacing Council Directive 1999/37/EC of 29 April 1999 on the registration documents for vehicles (the VRD Directive).

1.2.Policy area(s) concerned

Transport, road safety

1.3.Objective(s)

1.3.1.General objective(s)

The general objective of this initiative is to further improve road safety in the EU, contribute to sustainable mobility and to facilitate the free movement of persons and goods in the EU by unlocking the full potential of the Roadworthiness Package (RWP).

1.3.2.Specific objective(s)

Specific objective No

The specific objectives of the initiative are:

Ensure the consistency, objectivity, quality of roadworthiness testing of today’s and tomorrow’s vehicles;  

Significantly reduce tampering and improve the detection of defective vehicles, to allow for the detection of defective/tampered safety and emission (i.e., air pollution and noise emission) control systems, as well as of odometer fraud;

Improve electronic storage and exchange of relevant vehicle identification and status data.

1.3.3.Expected result(s) and impact

Specify the effects which the proposal/initiative should have on the beneficiaries/groups targeted.

The proposal will contribute to increasing road safety in the EU, with the impact estimated at 6,912 lives saved and 64,885 serious injuries avoided. It will also contribute to sustainable mobility by reducing air pollutant and noise emissions, which will lead to external costs savings, estimated at EUR 83.4 billion. It will contribute to facilitating the free movement of persons and goods in the EU through removal of obstacles to re-registration of vehicles in another Member State and (limited) EU-wide recognition of PTI certificates. It is also expected to bring significant benefits through introducing test methods for the inspection of electric vehicles, improved emission testing (such as NOx and PN measurement), and the introduction of testing methods for ADAS and other safety systems. Benefits are also expected due to the introduction of mandatory cargo securing inspections and new ways of testing, such as plume chasing and remote sensing to monitor pollutant and noise emissions, as well as the data governance measures. The initiative is expected to lead to improved detection and thus fewer defective and tampered vehicles, also through the extension of the roadside inspections to light commercial vehicles. It is expected to lead to a significant reduction of odometer tampering due to an obligation to record odometer readings and make the records available in the case of re-registration. It should also bring benefits due to the mandatory electronic roadworthiness certificate, the introduction of the vehicle registration document in digital format, access to PTI reports in national databases and the extension of data included in the national vehicle registers. Total benefits are estimated at EUR 391.6 billion, expressed as present value over 2026-2050 relative to the baseline.

1.3.4.Indicators of performance

Specify the indicators for monitoring progress and achievements.

Regarding the road safety objective, the Commission regularly monitors key road safety indicators, including the evolution of the number of fatalities, serious and slight injuries per Member State and per vehicle category, age and certain vehicle characteristics. Detailed information on the causes of crashes, notably on vehicle defects is unlikely to become available at large scale soon. In the future, analysis of event data recorders mandated by the General Safety Regulation may provide more detailed insight into the causes of a significant share of crashes. Until then, existing reporting requirements should be updated to better respond to current monitoring needs.

Regarding the air and noise pollution reduction, the evolution of air and noise pollution is continuously monitored by the EEA. Part of the reduction expected over the years to come will be related to this initiative through better maintenance of vehicles and reduced tampering with emission control systems. Progress towards the objective of contributing to sustainable mobility can be measured through the evolution of PTI and RSI results, as well as from remote sensing data.

As for the objective facilitating free movement, indicators of success will be the number of Member States recognising PTIs conducted abroad. 

To measure the success of the initiative, the following operational objectives are set: 1) Apply newly available safety and emission testing methods; 2) Interconnect Member States’ vehicle registers and odometer databases through a common hub; 3) Digitalise vehicle documents; 4) Reduce the number of defective and tampered vehicles on EU roads.

The Commission services will monitor the implementation and effectiveness of this initiative through a number of actions and a set of core indicators that will measure progress towards achieving the operational objectives. Five years after the revised legislation will have been applied, the Commission services should carry out an evaluation to verify to what extent the objectives of the initiative have been reached.

1.4.The proposal/initiative relates to:

☐a new action

☐a new action following a pilot project/preparatory action 39 (1)

☑the extension of an existing action

☐a merger or redirection of one or more actions towards another/a new action

1.5.Grounds for the proposal/initiative

1.5.1.Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for roll-out of the implementation of the initiative

National public authorities will have to set up a database for recording odometer history of the vehicles registered in their territory, interconnect existing national vehicle registers through the MOVE-HUB messaging platform, add new data elements to these registers and introduce remote sensing, which requires the purchase and installation of new roadside equipment as well as a monitoring system.

PTI centres will have to update test requirements and introduce some new ones, which will require additional investments in equipment, testing capacity and training of inspectors. It is however expected that PTI centres will be able to recover at least part of the additional costs through the additional business opportunities (increased number of tests) and in some cases (depending on the Member State) through somewhat increased PTI charges.

Vehicle repair shops, motor vehicle dealers and other garages will have to update their office software, to allow them to transfer their data to the central national database, due to the requirement to set up a system to record odometer readings from the cars and van.

Automobile manufacturers will have to adjust their systems to a governance framework for providing access to in-vehicle data necessary to carry out PTI and RSI to inspection centres and competent authorities and make the adjustments to their IT systems to ensure access to the relevant data, and maintenance costs.

Some vehicle owners will also face additional PTI and/or roadside inspections. Due to new testing requirements regarding safety, air pollutant emissions and noise, some vehicle owners may need to repair their vehicles to ensure that they can pass the PTI inspection and remain in use.

1.5.2.Added value of EU involvement (it may result from different factors, e.g. coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For the purposes of this section 'added value of EU involvement' is the value resulting from EU action, that is additional to the value that would have been otherwise created by Member States alone.

Reasons for action at EU level (ex-ante) and expected generated EU added value (ex-post)

While technological development is likely to further improve vehicle safety, the uptake of new technologies in the EU vehicle fleet would take some time, and some of the new features may also bring about new risks. Similarly, while tampering may be made more difficult by technical solutions, it is unlikely that it would disappear without enabling vehicle testing to detect illegal modifications, notably of the engine management software e.g., through securing better access to in-vehicle data. Thus, in the absence of EU level intervention, the problem is likely to persist. Member States may take unilateral measures; however, these measures cannot replace the coordinating and harmonising effect of the three Directives, with the risk of possible distortions of the internal market and only partially addressing the problem.

The problem of insufficient control of vehicle air pollutant emissions would persist as long as vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines (ICE) are on the roads. Although with stricter emission standards and gradual electrification the number of vehicles generating tailpipe emissions will decrease, they will still be circulating in the EU decades from now. Without updating the current emission test requirements at EU level however, Member States may not introduce the most effective and efficient test methods already available. Similarly, while more Member States may start experimenting with roadside noise testing, it is unlikely that the problem of noise vehicles would reduce significantly without a more systematic and coordinated approach.

Without EU level intervention, certain Member States may take unilateral or bilateral measures, such as systematic recording (and possibly exchanging) of odometer readings or develop agreements to recognise each other’s roadworthiness certificates. However, the systemic problem of insufficient and inefficient exchange of roadworthiness-related vehicle data would remain, hindering effective implementation and enforcement of existing rules.

As road transport and the automotive industry are international sectors, it is much more efficient and effective to address the issues at the EU level than at the level of Member States. While national practices differ historically, a certain minimum level of harmonisation in vehicle testing and commonly agreed solutions to exchange vehicle data between Member States is more effective than multiple uncoordinated national solutions. With common rules applied to testing modern vehicle technologies (EVs, ADAS, and the most recent emission control equipment), Member States will realise economies of scale and testing equipment manufacturers can operate on a more homogenous market. The functioning of the internal market would also be improved by vehicles being subject to similar tests under similar conditions, and transport operators facing similar costs. Coordinating the conditions of access and exchange of vehicle data at the EU level will not only be more efficient than bilateral agreements and negotiations with individual manufacturers, but also level the playing field among Member States and put them, collectively, in a stronger position vis-à-vis the automotive industry.

1.5.3.Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past

Various measures have been introduced at EU level since 1977, as Member States had begun developing their own national regulations regarding vehicle roadworthiness testing, leading to a lack of harmonisation. The 2014 RWP built on requirements included in the previous Directives related to the roadworthiness tests, roadside inspections, and rules on the registration documents of vehicles. To meet the objective to enhance the safety of vehicles on the road, the minimum EU standards for periodic roadworthiness tests (PTI) were strengthened and mandatory standards were introduced, together with the introduction of random roadside inspections (RSI). This was seen as essential to avoid reducing the effectiveness of roadworthiness enforcement. To meet the objective of making the necessary data for and from roadworthiness testing available, the PTI Directive also encourages cooperation and information exchange among Member States including records of roadworthiness tests.

The relevance of the RWP has been diminished in recent years by the widening gap between the existing roadworthiness requirements and the new systems installed in modern vehicles. On advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), human-machine interface (HMI) and electronic safety features the three Directives do not seem to provide a sufficiently comprehensive framework. The RWP currently does not cover specific testing protocols to ensure the compliance and maintenance of electric and hybrid vehicles, including software updates, in a safe and efficient manner.

Regarding the RWP’s objective to contribute to emissions reduction from road transport, some of the tests used in PTI are no longer sufficiently sensitive to detect emission failures in internal combustion powered vehicles. Modern vehicle engines and exhaust gas systems have critical detection criteria that are not covered by the currently prescribed test methods, and the current RWP’s contribution to reducing the number of vehicles in circulation with high emissions has become less relevant. Additionally, there are currently no EU roadworthiness provisions for testing vehicles for emissions manipulation/defect or manipulation/defect of diesel particulate filter.

Regarding improvement of the exchange of information on testing results between Member States, the current framework for information exchange has not been effective. Although the legislation mentions electronic data exchanges between Member States authorities as a possibility, not all countries use this. Even if the harmonisation of vehicle registration documents made it easier for citizens to register vehicles from other Member States and the EEA, there is room for improvement of the digitalisation process, to make it even easier.

1.5.4.Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with other appropriate instruments

The proposal is consistent with the objectives and priorities set in the 2020 Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy (SSMS) and the EU Green Deal by ensuring that vehicles on the roads maintain an adequate level of safety and environmental performance over time. It is in line with the objectives set in the EU Road Safety Policy Framework and it is also expected to have a significant contribution towards the EU’s clean air policy objectives, including those of the Ambient Air Quality Directives and of the National Emission reduction Commitments Directive, by better identifying and reducing the presence of high polluters that represent a very large share of total emissions from road transport. The proposal will facilitate online access to vehicle-related information, relevant administrative procedures and assistance and problem-solving services, which is in line with the Single Digital Gateway Regulation. Exchange of information related to roadworthiness and registration data will be aligned with relevant rules on data protection (GDPR). The proposal is also aligned with the safety and environmental requirements as set out in the Type-Approval Regulations, including with the General Safety Regulation. It includes measures which will ensure that minimum standards are maintained by owners throughout the lifetime of the vehicle. The proposal ensures alignment between PTI and RSI testing and the type-approval process, including in relation to the use of electronic PTI (ePTI). The proposal is also coherent with the requirements of the legislation on end-of-life vehicles (ELV), through providing electronic access to data to the registration authorities of other EU Member States and adding new, including ELV-related data to the vehicle register. The proposal is therefore considered consistent with relevant EU strategies and legal instruments and contributes to EU policy priorities.

1.5.5.Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for redeployment

The one-off costs in 2027 and ongoing adjustment costs of the Commission are mainly related to the upgrade of the IT system acting as a common interface to support interactions between governmental authorities/organisations, in particular related to the exchanging vehicle-related information. The information functionality will build on the existing platform (MOVE-HUB) developed and run by the Commission for the purpose of exchanging various road transport-related information among Member States. The upgrade of this system would present the best use of the current organisation and invested resources up to now.

The full implementation of the revised Roadworthiness Package will also require additional human resources at the level of 1 FTE/year from 2027 onwards related to the work on implementing legislation, including support to the Member States to set up the required technical and digital framework.

1.6.Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact

☑limited duration

☐in effect from [DD/MM]YYYY to [DD/MM]YYYY

☐financial impact from YYYY to YYYY for commitment appropriations and from YYYY to YYYY for payment appropriations.

☐unlimited duration

Implementation with a start-up period from YYYY to YYYY,

followed by full-scale operation.

1.7.Method(s) of budget implementation planned 40 (2)

☑Direct management by the Commission

☑by its departments, including by its staff in the Union delegations;

☐by the executive agencies

☐Shared management with the Member States

☐Indirect management by entrusting budget implementation tasks to:

☐third countries or the bodies they have designated;

☐international organisations and their agencies (to be specified);

☐the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund;

☐bodies referred to in Articles 70 and 71 of the Financial Regulation;

☐public law bodies;

☐bodies governed by private law with a public service mission to the extent that they are provided with adequate financial guarantees;

☐bodies governed by the private law of a Member State that are entrusted with the implementation of a public-private partnership and that are provided with adequate financial guarantees;

☐bodies or persons entrusted with the implementation of specific actions in the common foreign and security policy pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union, and identified in the relevant basic act

☐bodies established in a Member State, governed by the private law of a Member State or Union law and eligible to be entrusted, in accordance with sector-specific rules, with the implementation of Union funds or budgetary guarantees, to the extent that such bodies are controlled by public law bodies or by bodies governed by private law with a public service mission, and are provided with adequate financial guarantees in the form of joint and several liability by the controlling bodies or equivalent financial guarantees and which may be, for each action, limited to the maximum amount of the Union support.

Comments

The implementation of the proposal requires the update and maintenance of an existing IT system. This system should connect existing networks of national IT systems and interoperable access points, operating under the individual responsibility and management of each Member State, to ensure a secure and reliable exchange of vehicle-related information. The Commission will define appropriate IT solutions in implementing acts, including the design/architecture and technical specifications for an interface platform to inter-connect national systems to exchange the information. The adjustment costs for the Commission are expected to consist of two main cost elements (calculated in present net value), as follows: - the non-recurring adjustment (one off) costs in 2027 incurred by the necessary technical update of the IT platform and its testing of the exchange of vehicle-related information between Member States estimated at €200,000 ; - ongoing adjustment costs (maintenance and support of the dedicated platform) estimated at approx. €50,000 per year intended for interactive exchange of information between Member States authorities. The work on implementation of the RWP, including subsequent support to the Member States to set up the required technical and digital framework requires an increase of human resources at the level of 1 FTE/year from 2027 onwards, for a period of at least three years.

2.MANAGEMENT MEASURES

2.1.Monitoring and reporting rules

The tasks directly implemented by DG MOVE will follow the annual cycle of planning and monitoring, as implemented in the Commission and the executive agencies, including reporting the results through the Annual Activity Report of DG MOVE. Regarding periodical technical inspections, according to the Article 20a of the PTI directive, Member States shall communicate to the Commission through the online reporting platform 41(3) (‘e-platform’), the data collected relating to each of the previous three calendar years and concerning the vehicles inspected in their territory. Those data shall indicate (per calendar year): 

the number of testing centres per Member State; the total number of vehicles inspected; the number of vehicles inspected per category; the areas checked, and the items failed, in accordance with point 3 of Annex I; where vehicles registered in another Member State were tested, the number, category and test result of those vehicles.

Regarding roadside inspections, according to the Article 20 of the RSI Directive, Member States shall communicate to the Commission, through the online reporting platform (‘e-platform’, same as the above), the data collected relating to each of the previous three calendar years and concerning the vehicles inspected in their territory. Those data shall indicate (per calendar year):

the number of testing centres per Member State; the total number of vehicles inspected; the country of registration of each vehicle inspected; in the case of more detailed inspections, the areas checked and the items failed, in accordance with point 10 of Annex IV; the results of the remote sensing measurements carried out in accordance with Article 4a.

Regarding vehicle registration documents, according to the Article 16 of the VRD Directive, Member States shall communicate to the Commission through the online reporting platform the data collected relating to each of the previous three calendar years and concerning the vehicles registered in their territory. Those data shall indicate (per calendar year): 

the number of physical registration certificates issued, per vehicle category; the number of mobile registration certificates issued, per vehicle category; the number of re-registrations of vehicles previously registered in another Member State, per vehicle category; the number of vehicle registrations suspended, per vehicle category; and a list of data elements recorded in national registers.

The new reporting period of Member States is extended from current two years to three years in order to help reducing the administrative burden on national authorities. The e-platform is intended to facilitate automatic compilation of data by specific reporting features.

2.2.Management and control system(s)

2.2.1.Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed

The unit within DG MOVE in charge of the policy field will manage the implementation of the Directive.

The expenditure will be implemented under direct management, in full application of the provisions of the Financial Regulation. The control strategy for procurements and grants in DG MOVE includes specific ex-ante legal, operational and financial controls on the procedures ( including, for procurements; a review by the advisory committee for procurement and contracts) as well as on the signature of contracts and agreements. In addition, expenditure made to procure goods and services is subject to ex ante and, when necessary, ex-post and financial controls.

2.2.2.Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up to mitigate them

As regards the implementation of the tasks related to the setup of the mechanism, the risks identified are linked to use of procurement procedures: delay, availability of data, timely information to the market, etc. These risks are covered under the Financial Regulation and mitigated by the set of internal controls deployed by DG MOVE for procurement of this value. 

2.2.3.Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio between the control costs and the value of the related funds managed), and assessment of the expected levels of risk of error (at payment & at closure)

The requested budgetary increase applies to the upgrade and maintenance of the IT system. Concerning the control activities related to the IT systems developed or managed by the directorate responsible for the proposal, the IT steering committee is regularly monitoring the directorate databases and progress made, taking into account the simplification and cost-efficiency of the Commission IT resources.

DG MOVE reports annually, in its Annual Activity Report, on the cost of control of its activities. The risk profile and cost of controls for procurement activities are in line with the requirements.

2.3.Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities

The regular Commission prevention and protection measures would apply, specifically:

payments for any services are checked by the Commission staff prior to payment, taking into account any contractual obligations, economic principles and good financial or management practice. Anti-fraud provisions (supervision, reporting requirements, etc.) will be included in all agreements and contracts concluded between the Commission and recipients of any payments; and

to combat fraud, corruption and other unlawful activities the provisions of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 1999 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) shall apply without restriction.

DG MOVE adopted a revised Anti-fraud Strategy (AFS) in 2020. The MOVE AFS is based on the Commission Antifraud Strategy and a specific risk assessment carried out internally to identify the areas most vulnerable to fraud, the controls already in place and the actions necessary to improve DG MOVE’s capacity to prevent, detect and correct fraud. The contractual provisions applicable to public procurement ensure that audits and on-the-spot checks can be carried out by the Commission services, including OLAF, using the standard provisions recommended by OLAF. 

3.ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

3.1.Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected

Existing budget lines

In order of multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines.

New budget lines requested

In order of multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines.

3.2.Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations

3.2.1.Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations

☐The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational appropriations

☑The proposal/initiative requires the use of operational appropriations, as explained below:

3.2.1.1.Appropriations from voted budget

EUR million (to three decimal places)

EUR million (to three decimal places)

3.2.2.Estimated output funded from operational appropriations (not to be completed for decentralised agencies)

Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places)

3.2.3.Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations

☐The proposal/initiative does not require the use of appropriations of an administrative nature

☑The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative nature, as explained below:

3.2.3.1.Appropriations from voted budget

The appropriations required for human resources and other expenditure of an administrative nature will be met by appropriations from the DG that are already assigned to management of the action and/or have been redeployed within the DG, together, if necessary, with any additional allocation which may be granted to the managing DG under the annual allocation procedure and in the light of budgetary constraints.

3.2.4.Estimated requirements of human resources

☐The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources

☑The proposal/initiative requires the use of human resources, as explained below

3.2.4.1.Financed from voted budget

Estimate to be expressed in full-time equivalent units (FTEs) 50(12)

3.2.5.Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments

Compulsory: the best estimate of the digital technology-related investments entailed by the proposal/initiative should be included in the table below.

Exceptionally, when required for the implementation of the proposal/initiative, the appropriations under Heading 7 should be presented in the designated line.

The appropriations under Headings 1-6 should be reflected as "Policy IT expenditure on operational programmes". This expenditure refers to the operational budget to be used to re-use/ buy/ develop IT platforms/ tools directly linked to the implementation of the initiative and their associated investments (e.g. licences, studies, data storage etc). The information provided in this table should be consistent with details presented under Section 4 "Digital dimensions".

3.2.6.Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework

The proposal/initiative:

☑can be fully financed through redeployment within the relevant heading of the multiannual financial framework (MFF).

☐requires use of the unallocated margin under the relevant heading of the MFF and/or use of the special instruments as defined in the MFF Regulation.

☐requires a revision of the MFF.

3.2.7.Third-party contributions

The proposal/initiative:

☑does not provide for co-financing by third parties

☐provides for the co-financing by third parties estimated below:

Appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places)

3.3.Estimated impact on revenue

☑The proposal/initiative has no financial impact on revenue.

☐The proposal/initiative has the following financial impact:

☐on own resources

☐on other revenue

☐please indicate, if the revenue is assigned to expenditure lines

EUR million (to three decimal places)

For assigned revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected.

[...]

Other remarks (e.g. method/formula used for calculating the impact on revenue or any other information).

[...]

4.DIGITAL DIMENSIONS

4.1.Requirement 1 (R1): Require the roadworthiness certificate in electronic format 

(a)Directive 2014/45/EU (PTI), Article 8(2)

(b)While the current PTI Directive allows the use of electronically produced roadworthiness certificates, it requires a certified printout to be handed to the person presenting the vehicle for PTI. The measure will limit the requirement to issuing an electronic document only, while providing a printout only if the person presenting the vehicle so requests.

(c)The exchange of PTI-related data under R1 will allow enforcing authorities to check the status of any vehicle registered in the EU in the case of a roadside check or for the purpose of re-registration, without the need for the owner of the vehicle to present a printed certificate.

(d)Stakeholders affected: Member States, vehicle owners.

(e)Management of existing national vehicle registers and PTI databases.

Requirement 2 (R2): Provide electronic access to relevant data, including on PTI reports stored in national databases, to the registration authorities of other EU Member States using a common interface

(a)Revised Directive 1999/37/EC (VRD), Art.15, and Directive 2014/45/EU (PTI) Art 16, and Directive 2014/45/EU (PTI), Article 18a Directive 2014/47/EU (RSI).

(b)This measure will require that Member States provide access to other Member States requesting registration or PTI-related vehicle data, and odometer history for the vehicles registered in their territory.

(c)Stakeholders affected: Member States, the Commission.

(d)In order to facilitate the data exchange, the measure would require Member States to connect their national databases (vehicle registers and related PTI databases as the case may be) to the existing MOVE-HUB platform developed and run by the Commission for the purpose of exchanging various road transport-related information among Member States.

Requirement 3 (R3): Introduce issuing the registration certificates in digital format to gradually replace current paper (and smart card) documents

(a)Revised Directive 1999/37/EC (VRD), Art.2, Art.3, Art.5, Annex III

(b)The measure will introduce the requirement to issue new registration certificates in a digital format by default. The technical details of the digital/mobile registration certificate will be defined in an implementing act and refer to the relevant ISO standards as in the case of the digital driving licence. Similarly to the mobile driving licence, the digital registration certificate will rely on the eIDAS initiative.

(c)Stakeholders affected: Member States, vehicle owners.

(d)The measure applies to all vehicle categories that are subject to registration in the Member States. For the purposes of identifying vehicles in road traffic as well as for re-registration, Member States will have to recognise the digital version of the registration certificate. As the physical documents, the digital vehicle registration certificate would be used to confirm the registration of the vehicle, to check certain technical data about it (the digital version could store more data than the paper version), and to allow verification by the authorities.

Requirement 4 (R4): Add new data to the vehicle register – minimum mandatory set (including among others: country of 1st registration, registration status, PTI status, changes due to transformation)

(a)Revised Directive 1999/37/EC (VRD), Art.6, Annexes I and II

(b)It will provide for a minimum set of mandatory data to be registered by Member States. New data elements could include among others: a. Country where the vehicle was registered for the first time; b. Vehicle status (e.g. deregistered, temporarily deregistered, suspended, exported, end-of-life, destructed) c. PTI status (passed with no or minor defects, limited validity with major defects, failed – critical defects) and validity of the roadworthiness certificate (including expiry date), as well as status of the battery (for EVs): battery identification number; and information if the battery has been repaired or replaced; d. Changes in documentation or transformation – any important vehicle refurbishment to be approved and registered; e. For a vehicle which is permanently deregistered, information on the reasons for deregistration.

(c)Stakeholders affected: Member States, vehicle owners.

(d)Management of existing national vehicle registers and PTI databases.

Requirement 5 (R5): Recording of odometer readings in national databases

(a)Article 4a of Directive 2014/45/EU (PTI).

(b)The measure requires that service providers carrying out repairs or maintenance work on a vehicle record the odometer readings in a dedicated national database or in the national vehicle register. Vehicle manufacturers must also send regular odometer readings from their connected vehicles. The article also requires Member States to share odometer history with inspectors, the holder of the registration certificate and competent the authorities in the Member States (cf. R2).

(c)Stakeholders affected: Member States, vehicle repairers, workshops, vehicle manufacturers, vehicle owners and potential buyers.

Requirement 6 (R6): Communication of information by Member States to the Commission

(a)Article 20a of Directive 2014/45/EU (PTI), Article 16 of revised Directive 1999/37/EC (VRD), Article 20 of Directive 2014/47/EU (RSI).

(b)Similar but simpler and less frequent than the current reporting requirement under the RSI Directive, Member States will be required to communicate a minimum set of information related to PTIs, RSIs, and re-registrations of vehicles every three years. Member States will use a common reporting platform rather than sending emails with Excel files attached. The reporting format will be laid down in an implementing act to be adopted by the Commission.

(c)Stakeholders affected: Member States.

4.2.Data

No data will be collected at the Commission level, apart from cumulative data as provided by Member States reporting (see R6 above and point 2.1 of this statement on monitoring and reporting for more details). Those data relate to the number of vehicles tested at periodic and roadside inspections, their counrty of registration and the number and types of deficiencies.

All other relevant requirements (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 see above) are consistent with the Single Digital Gateway Regulation by facilitating online access to vehicle-related information, relevant administrative procedures and assistance and problem-solving services.

They are also serving the objectives of the EU’s Data Strategy for the development of European Data spaces for public administrations that can support enforcement of legislation, including road safety and environmental legislation.

Exchange of information related to roadworthiness and registration data will have to be aligned with relevant rules on data protection (GDPR).

The once-only principle has been followed, and the possibility to reuse existing data has been explored.

4.3.Digital solutions

To facilitate the data exchange, R2 would require Member States to connect their national databases (vehicle registers and related PTI databases as the case may be) to the existing MOVE-HUB platform developed and run by the Commission for the purpose of exchanging various road transport-related information among Member States. There will be no need to develop additional software to gather messaging statistics. MOVE-HUB could also be used to communicate the odometer history of vehicles recorded following R5, at the time of re-registering a vehicle in another Member State.

Other requirements (R1, R3, R4) do not require central solution and will rely on the existing national digital solutions. R5 will require either the setting up of national databases (similar to the Belgian Car-Pass system), or use their national vehicle register to record odometer readings.

All proposed requirements (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6) are coherent with digital policies (the Single Digital Gateway, Data Act) as well as the requirements of the EU cybersecurity framework. No use of AI technologies is envisaged for the stated requirements.

R6 will rely on the online platform established by the Commission (‘e-platform’ 54(16)) to facilitate communication between the Commission and Member States.

Regarding both periodical technical inspections and roadside inspections, Member States must communicate to the Commission through the online reporting platform (‘e-platform’) the data relating to each of the previous three calendar years and concerning the vehicles inspected in their territory.

The reporting period of Member States is every three years, and the e-platform is intended to facilitate automatic compilation of data by specific reporting features.

4.4.Interoperability assessment

R2 will require that Member States provide access to other Member States requesting registration or PTI-related vehicle data for the vehicles registered in their territory. To facilitate the data exchange, the R2 would require Member States to connect their national databases (vehicle registers and related PTI databases as the case may be) to the existing MOVE-HUB platform developed and run by the Commission for the purpose of exchanging various road transport-related information among Member States.

For interoperability, R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 will likely have:

1. A positive effect on legal cross-border interoperability because they provide a coherent legal framework for the use and access of the mentioned certificates and documents across borders.

2. A positive effect on semantic cross-border interoperability because they provide a clear framework to clarify a common format and meaning of the exchanged data.

3. A positive effect on technical cross-border interoperability because the structure of the message will make it suitable for use across border. This is further enhanced in case the Member States decides to use the MOVE-HUB solution, which is already provided by the Commission and is used by Member States for message exchange. If the Member States decide to develop their own systems they need to ensure they do not pose barriers to interoperability.

4. A positive impact on organisational interoperability because it requires Member States to align their processes to allow for the use and access of the mentioned certificates and documents across borders.

4.5.Measures to support digital implementation

To facilitate the smooth implementation of the requirements of digital relevance identified in Section 4.1., the implementing/delegated acts will have to be adopted for the following purposes:

(a)Specify a minimum set of technical data necessary to carry out periodic technical inspections that must be made available free of charge and without delay to the competent authorities, which will then have to ensure that the testing centres authorised by them have the necessary access to it. Additional technical requirements should be laid down in an implementing act amending Commission Implementing Regulation 2019/621;

(b)To ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of the digital vehicle registration certificate, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission to specify interoperability features and security measures applicable to the QR codes introduced on vehicle registration certificates;

(c)To address cross-border issues, Member States should assist one another in the implementation of this Directive. For that purpose, rules on exchange of information and vehicle data are necessary to check a vehicle’s legal and technical status and odometer history.

(d)The functionalities of the MOVE-HUB should be further extended to enable the necessary exchange of information and/or vehicle data for the purposes of this Directive, in particular to specify the format and content of the information/data to be exchanged. Member States should connect their vehicle registers, and electronic systems containing information on roadworthiness certificates and odometer history with the MOVE-HUB system.

(e)To ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of the reporting requirements by Member States, who should report on the implementation of this Directive every 3 years.

(1) (1)    OJ L 138, 1.6.1999, p. 57, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1999/37/oj.

(2) (2)    European Commission (2020), Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, Next steps towards ‘Vision Zero’ – EU road safety policy framework 2021-2030, Publications Office, 2020, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2832/391271.

(3) (3)    Directive 2014/45/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC (OJ L 127, 29.4.2014, p. 51, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/45/oj).

(4) (4)    Directive 2014/47/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on the technical roadside inspection of the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles circulating in the Union and repealing Directive 2000/30/EC (OJ L 127, 29.4.2014, p. 134, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/47/oj).

(5) (5)    Directive 2014/46/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 amending Council Directive 1999/37/EC on the registration documents for vehicles (OJ L 127, 29.4.2014, p. 129, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/46/oj).

(6) (6)    See e.g. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/eu-approval-and-market-surveillance-measures-for-motor-vehicles-and-their-trailers.html.

(7) (7)    COM(2020) 789 final, EUR-Lex - 52020DC0789 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu).

(8) (8)    http://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar%3A0e8b694e-59b5-11e8-ab41-01aa75ed71a1.0003.02/DOC_2&format=PDF.

(9) (9)    Proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on driving licences, amending Directive (EU) 2022/2561 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulation (EU) No 383/2012 (COM/2023/127 final).

(10) (10)    COM(2023) 127 and COM(2023) 126 final, https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/european-commission-proposes-updated-requirements-driving-licences-and-better-cross-border-2023-03-01_en.

(11) (11)    Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 October 2018 establishing a single digital gateway to provide access to information, to procedures and to assistance and problem-solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 (OJ L 295, 21/11/2018, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/1724/oj).

(12) (12)    Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj).

(13) (13)    Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2023 on harmonised rules on fair access to and use of data and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 and Directive (EU) 2020/1828 (OJ L, 2023/2854, 22.12.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2854/oj).

(14) (14)    Directive (EU) 2019/520 on the interoperability of electronic road toll systems and facilitating cross-border exchange of information on the failure to pay road fees in the Union (OJ L 91, 29.3.2019, p. 45, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/520/oj).

(15) (15)    Directive (EU) 2022/362 amending Directives 1999/62/EC, 1999/37/EC and (EU) 2019/520, as regards the charging of vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures (OJ L 69, 4.3.2022, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/362/oj).

(16) (16)    Decision (EU) 2022/2481 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 establishing the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 (OJ L 323, 19.12.2022, p. 4, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2022/2481/oj).

(17) (17)    Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on type-approval requirements for motor vehicles and their trailers, and systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, as regards their general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users, amending Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulations (EC) No 78/2009, (EC) No 79/2009 and (EC) No 661/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulations (EC) No 631/2009, (EU) No 406/2010, (EU) No 672/2010, (EU) No 1003/2010, (EU) No 1005/2010, (EU) No 1008/2010, (EU) No 1009/2010, (EU) No 19/2011, (EU) No 109/2011, (EU) No 458/2011, (EU) No 65/2012, (EU) No 130/2012, (EU) No 347/2012, (EU) No 351/2012, (EU) No 1230/2012 and (EU) 2015/166 (OJ L 325, 16.12.2019, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/2144/oj).

(18) (18)    Ares (2023)8616336.

(19) (19)    https://www.roadsafetysweden.com/contentassets/b37f0951c837443eb9661668d5be439e/stockholm-declaration-english.pdf.

(20) (20)    Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) No 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 (OJ L 243, 9.7.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1119/oj).

(21) (21)    2023 Commission work programme – key documents (europa.eu), Annex II: REFIT initiatives, headline A – A European Green Deal.

(22) (22)    Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – 2030 Digital Compass: the European way for the Digital Decade, COM(2021) 118.

(23) (23)    https://commission.europa.eu/aid-development-cooperation-fundamental-rights/your-fundamental-rights-eu_en.

(24) (24)    Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC (OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 73, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/910/oj).

(25) (25)    OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/182/oj.

(26) (1)    OJ C [...], [...], p. [...]

(27) (2)    OJ C [...], [...], p. [...]

(28) (3)    Council Directive 1999/37/EC of 29 April 1999 on the registration documents for vehicles (OJ L 138, 1.6.1999, p. 57, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1999/37/oj).

(29) (4)    Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC (OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 73, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/910/oj)

(30) (5)    Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2000 on end-of life vehicles (OJ L 269, 21.10.2000, p. 34, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2000/53/oj)

(31) (6)    OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1.

(32) (7)    Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, amending Regulations (EC) No 715/2007 and (EC) No 595/2009 and repealing Directive 2007/46/EC (OJ L 151, 14.6.2018, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/858/oj).

(33) (8)    Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/182/oj).

(34) (9)    OJ C 369, 17.12.2011, p. 14.

(35) (10)    Regulation (EU) No 167/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 February 2013 on the approval and market surveillance of agricultural and forestry vehicles (OJ L 60, 2.3.2013, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/167/oj).

(36) (11)    Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013 on the approval and market surveillance of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles (OJ L 60, 2.3.2013, p. 52, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/168/oj).

(37) (12)    Directive 2014/45/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC (OJ L 127, 29.4.2014, p. 51, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/45/oj).

(38) (13)    Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, amending Regulations (EC) No 663/2009 and (EC) No 715/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directives 94/22/EC, 98/70/EC, 2009/31/EC, 2009/73/EC, 2010/31/EU, 2012/27/EU and 2013/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 2009/119/EC and (EU) 2015/652 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, p. 1).

(39) (1)    As referred to in Article 58(2), point (a) or (b) of the Financial Regulation.

(40) (2)    Details of budget implementation methods and references to the Financial Regulation may be found on the BUDGpedia site: https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/corp/budget/financial-rules/budget-implementation/Pages/implementation-methods.aspx.

(41) (3)    Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, amending Regulations (EC) No 663/2009 and (EC) No 715/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directives 94/22/EC, 98/70/EC, 2009/31/EC, 2009/73/EC, 2010/31/EU, 2012/27/EU and 2013/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 2009/119/EC and (EU) 2015/652 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, p. 1).

(42) (4)    Diff. = Differentiated appropriations / Non-diff. = Non-differentiated appropriations.

(43) (5)    EFTA: European Free Trade Association.

(44) (6)    Candidate countries and, where applicable, potential candidates from the Western Balkans.

(45) (7)    Year 2027 is the year in which implementation of the proposal/initiative starts. For subsequent years, ongoing adjustment costs are estimated at the level of EUR 0.05 million, without prejudging the next MFF.

(46) (8)    Technical and/or administrative assistance and expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions (former 'BA' lines), indirect research, direct research.

(47) (9)    The necessary appropriations should be determined using the annual average cost figures available on the appropriate BUDGpedia webpage.

(48) (10)    Outputs are products and services to be supplied (e.g.: number of student exchanges financed, number of km of roads built, etc.).

(49) (11)    As described in point 1.4.2. 'Specific objective(s)...'

(50) (12)    Please specify below the table how many FTEs within the number indicated are already assigned to the management of the action and/or can be redeployed within your DG and what are your net needs.

(51) (13)    Technical and digital framework requires additional human resources at the level of 1 FTE/year from 2027 onwards. For subsequent years, this is without prejudging the next MFF.

(52) (14)    Considering the overall strained situation in Heading 7, in terms of both staffing and the level of appropriations, the human resources required will be met by staff from the DG who are already assigned to the management of the action and/or have been redeployed within the DG or other Commission services.

(53) (15)    As regards traditional own resources (customs duties, sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net amounts, i.e. gross amounts after deduction of 20% for collection costs.

(54) (16)    Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, amending Regulations (EC) No 663/2009 and (EC) No 715/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directives 94/22/EC, 98/70/EC, 2009/31/EC, 2009/73/EC, 2010/31/EU, 2012/27/EU and 2013/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 2009/119/EC and (EU) 2015/652 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, p. 1).

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 24.4.2025

COM(2025) 179 final

ANNEX

to the

DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

on the registration documents for vehicles and vehicle registration data recorded in national vehicle registers and repealing Council Directive 1999/37/EC

{SEC(2025) 119 final} - {SWD(2025) 96 final} - {SWD(2025) 97 final} - {SWD(2025) 98 final} - {SWD(2025) 99 final}

Annex I

Part I of the registration certificate

1.This part may be implemented in either of two formats: as a paper document or as a smart card. The characteristics of the paper document version are specified in point 2, and those of the smart card version in point 3.

2.Specifications of Part I of the Registration Certificate in paper format

(a)The overall dimensions of the physical Registration Certificate shall not be greater than an A4 format (210 × 297 mm) or a folder of A4 format.

(b)The paper used for Part I of the Registration Certificate shall be made secure against forgery by using at least two of the following techniques:

(i)graphics,

(ii)watermark,

(iii)fluorescent fibres, or

(iv)fluorescent imprints.

Member States are free to introduce additional security features.

(c)Part I of the Registration Certificate may consist of several pages. Member States shall determine the number of pages in accordance with the information contained in the document and its layout.

(d)The first page of Part I of the Registration Certificate shall contain:

(i)the name of the Member State issuing Part I of the Registration Certificate,

(ii)the distinguishing mark of the Member State issuing Part I of the registration certificate, namely:

B: Belgium

BG: Bulgaria

CZ: Czech Republic

DK: Denmark

D: Germany

EST: Estonia

GR: Greece

E: Spain

F: France

HR: Croatia

IRL: Ireland

I: Italy

CY: Cyprus

LV: Latvia

LT: Lithuania, 

L: Luxembourg

H: Hungary

M: Malta

NL: Netherlands

A: Austria

PL: Poland

P: Portugal

RO: Romania

SLO: Slovenia

SK: Slovakia

FIN: Finland

S: Sweden

(iii)the name of the competent authority,

(iv)the words ‘Part I of the Registration Certificate’ or, if the certificate consists of one part only, the words ‘Registration Certificate’, printed in large type in the language or languages of the Member States issuing the Registration Certificate; they shall also appear, after a suitable space, in small type in the other languages of the European Union,

(v)the words ‘European Union’, printed in the language or languages of the Member State issuing Part I of the Registration Certificate,

(vi)the number of the document.

(e)Part I of the Registration Certificate shall also contain the following data, preceded by the corresponding harmonised Union codes:

(A) registration number,

(B) date of first registration of the vehicle,

(C) personal data,

(C.1) holder of the Registration Certificate,

(C.1.1) surname(s) or business name,

(C.1.2) other name(s) or initial(s) (where appropriate),

(C.1.3) address in the Member State of registration on the date of issue of the document,

(C.1.4) electronic address (e-mail), where available,

(C.2) owner of the vehicle (repeated as many times as there are owners),

(C.2.1) surname or business name,

(C.2.2) other name(s) or initial(s) (where appropriate),

(C.2.3) address in the Member State of registration, on the date of issue of the document,

(D) vehicle,

(D.1) make,

(D.2) type,

- variant (if available),

- version (if available),

(D.3) commercial description(s),

(E) vehicle identification number,

(F) mass,

(F.1) maximum technically permissible laden mass, except for motorcycles,

(G) mass of the vehicle in service with bodywork, and with coupling device in the case of a towing vehicle in service from any category other than M1,

(H) period of validity, if not unlimited,

(I) date of the registration to which this certificate refers,

(J) vehicle category,

(J.1) bodywork,

(K) whole-vehicle vehicle type-approval number (if available),

(P) engine,

(P.1) capacity (in cm3),

(P.2) maximum net power (in kW) (if available),

(P.3) type of fuel or power source (where applicable),

(Q) power/weight ratio (in kW/kg) (only for motorcycles),

(S) seating capacity,

(S.1) number of seats, including the driver's seat,

(S.2) number of standing places (where appropriate).

(V.7) CO2 (in g/km) or Specific CO2 emissions where indicated at entry 49.5 of the Certificate of Conformity of heavy-duty vehicles defined in the Appendix to Annex VIII to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683 1(1) or at entry 49.5 of the individual vehicle approval certificate defined in Appendix 1 to Annex III to that Regulation,

(V.9) indication of the exhaust emission level environmental categoryat entry 47 of part 2 of the Certificate of Conformity as defined in the Appendix to Annex VIII to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683 or at entry 47 of the individual approval certificate defined in Appendix 1 to Annex III to that Regulation, 

(X) proof of having passed the roadworthiness test, date of next roadworthiness test or expiry of current certificate.

(f)Part I of the Registration Certificate may, moreover, contain the following data, preceded by the corresponding harmonised Union codes:

(C) personal data,

(C.3) natural or legal person who may use the vehicle by virtue of a legal right other than that of ownership,

(C.3.1) surname or business name,

(C.3.2) other name(s) or initial(s) (where appropriate),

(C.3.3) address in the Member State of registration, on the date of issue of the document,

(C.5), (C.6), (C.7), (C.8): where a change in the personal data given in point (e), codes (C.1), (C.2) and/or this point, code (C.3) does not give rise to the issue of a new Registration Certificate, the new personal data corresponding to these points may be included under codes (C.5), (C.6), (C.7) or (C.8); they are then broken down in accordance with the references in point (e), codes (C.1), (C.2), this point, code (C.3),

(F) mass,

(F.2) maximum permissible laden mass of the vehicle in service in the Member State of registration,

(F.3) maximum permissible laden mass of the whole vehicle in service in the Member State of registration,

(L) number of axles,

(M) wheelbase (in mm),

(N) for vehicles with a total exceeding 3 500 kg, distribution of the technically permissible maximum laden mass among the axles,

(N.1) axle 1 (in kg),

(N.2) axle 2 (in kg), where appropriate,

(N.3) axle 3 (in kg), where appropriate,

(N.4) axle 4 (in kg), where appropriate,

(N.5) axle 5 (in kg), where appropriate,

(O) technically permissible maximum towable mass of the trailer,

(O.1) braked (in kg),

(O.2) unbraked (in kg);

(P) engine,

(P.4) rated speed (in min-1),

(P.5) engine identification number,

(R) colour of the vehicle,

(T) maximum speed (in km/h),

(U) sound level,

(U.1) stationary (in dB(A)),

(U.2) engine speed (in min-1),

(U.3) drive-by (in dB(A)),

(V) exhaust emissions,

(V.1) CO (in g/km or g/kWh),

(V.2) THC (in g/km or g/kWh),

(V.3) NOx (in g/km or g/kWh),

(V.4) THC + NOx (in g/km),

(V.5) Mass of particulate matter (PM) (in g/km or g/kWh),

(V.6) corrected absorption coefficient for diesel (in min-1),

(V.8) combined fuel consumption (in l/100 km),

(V.10) CO2 emission class of heavy-duty vehicles determined at the moment of first registration, in accordance with Article 7ga(2) of Directive 1999/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (5),

(W) fuel tank(s) capacity (in litres),

(g)Member States may include additional information in Part I of the Registration Certificate, in particular they may add between brackets to the identification codes, as laid down under points (e) and (f), additional national codes.

3.Specifications of Part I of the Registration Certificate in smart card format (Alternative to the specimen in paper format described in point 2)

(a)Card format and data legible with the eye

Where the card includes a microprocessor, the chip card shall be designed in accordance with the standards mentioned in point (e). The data stored on the card should be legible with normal reading devices (such as for tachograph cards).

Printed on the front and back of the card shall be at least the data specified in point 2, points (d) and (e); these data shall be legible with the eye (minimum character height: 6 points) and printed on as follows. 

(i)Basic Imprint

The basic data shall contain the following:

Front

(1)To the right of the chip location:

in the language(s) of the Member State issuing the Registration Certificate

—the words ‘European Union’,

—the name of the Member State issuing the Registration Certificate,

—the words ‘Part I of the Registration Certificate’, or, if the certificate consists of one part only, the words ‘Registration Certificate’ printed in large type,

—another (e.g. previous national) designation of the equivalent document (optional),

—the name of the competent authority (alternatively, also in the form of a personalisation imprint as per point (ii)),

—the unambiguous consecutive number of the document as used within the Member State (alternatively, also in the form of a personalisation imprint as per point (ii)),

(2)Above the chip location:

The distinguishing mark of the Member State issuing the Registration Certificate, white in a blue rectangle and surrounded by twelve yellow stars:

B: Belgium

BG: Bulgaria

CZ: Czech Republic

DK: Denmark

D: Germany

EST: Estonia

GR: Greece

E: Spain

F: France

HR: Croatia

IRL: Ireland

I: Italy

CY: Cyprus

LV: Latvia

LT: Lithuania,

L: Luxembourg

H: Hungary

M: Malta

NL: Netherlands

A: Austria

PL: Poland

P: Portugal

RO: Romania

SLO: Slovenia

SK: Slovakia

FIN: Finland

S: Sweden

(3)Member States might consider adding, at the lower edge in small type and in their national language(s), the note: ‘This document should be produced to any authorised person requesting it.’ 

(4)The basic colour of the card is green (Pantone 362); alternatively, a green-to-white transition is possible.

(5)A symbol representing a wheel (see proposed lay-out in Figure1) shall be printed within the printing area in the bottom left corner of the card front.

(6)In other respects, the provisions of point (m) shall apply.

(ii)Personalisation Imprint 

The personalisation imprint shall contain the following information:

Front 

(1)The name of the competent authority – see also point (i),

(2)The name of the authority issuing the Registration Certificate (optional),

(3)The unambiguous consecutive number of the document as used within the Member State – see also point (i),

(4)The following data from point 2, point (e),

(5)according to point 2, point (g), individual national codes may be added to the preceding harmonised Union codes.

(A) registration number (official licence number)

(B) date of first registration of the vehicle

(C) date of the registration to which this certificate refers

personal data

(C.1) holder of the Registration Certificate

(C.1.1) surname or business name

(C.1.2) other name(s) or initial(s) (where appropriate)

(C.1.3) address in the Member State of registration on the date of issue of the document

(C.2) owner of the vehicle (repeated as many times as there are owners),

(C.2.1) surname or business name,

(C.2.2) other name(s) or initial(s) (where appropriate),

(C.2.3) address in the Member State of registration, on the date of issue of the document

Back

The back shall bear at least the remaining data specified inpoint 2, point (e).

In accordance with point 2, point (g), individual national codes may be added to the preceding harmonised Union codes.

In detail, these data are:

Vehicle Data (in consideration of the notes in point 2, point (e))

(D.1) make,

(D.2) type (variant/version, where appropriate),

(D.3) commercial description(s),

(E) vehicle identification number,

(F) mass,

(F.1) max. technically permissible laden mass, except for motorcycles (kg),

(G) mass of the vehicle in service with bodywork, and with coupling device in the case of a towing vehicle in service from any category other than M1 (kg),

(H) period of validity, if not unlimited,

(J) vehicle category,

(J.1) bodywork,

(K) whole-vehicle vehicle type-approval number (if available),

(P.1) displacement (cm3),

(P.2) nominal power (kW),

(P.3) type of fuel or power source,

(Q) power/weight ratio (in kW/kg) (only for motorcycles),

(S.1) number of seats, including driver’s seat,

(S.2) number of standing places (where appropriate).

(V.7) CO2 (in g/km) or Specific CO2 emissions where indicated atentry 49.5 of the Certificate of Conformity of heavy-duty vehicles defined in the Appendix to Annex VIII to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683 or at entry 49.5 of the individual vehicle approval certificate defined in Appendix 1 to Annex III to that Regulation,

(V.9) indication of the exhaust emission level at entry 47 of part 2 of the Certificate of Conformity as defined in the Appendix to Annex VIII to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683 or at entry 47 of the individual approval certificate defined in Appendix 1 to Annex III to that Regulation,

(X) proof of having passed the roadworthiness test, date of next roadworthiness test or expiry of current certificate.

Optionally, additional data from point 2, point (f) (with the harmonised codes) and point 2, point (g) may be added on the back of the card. 

(iii)Physical security features of the smart card

The threats to the physical security of documents are:

(1)Production of false cards: creating a new object which bears great resemblance to the document, either by making it from scratch or by copying an original document.

(2)Material alteration: changing a property of an original document, e.g. modifying some of the data printed on the document.

The material used for Part I of the Registration Certificate shall be made secure against forgery by using at least three of the following techniques:

—microprinting,

—guilloche printing*,

—iridescent printing,

—laser engraving,

—ultraviolet fluorescent ink,

—inks with viewing angle–dependent colour*,

—inks with temperature-dependent colour*,

—custom holograms*,

—variable laser images,

—optical variable images.

Member States are free to introduce additional security features.

As a basis, the techniques indicated with an asterisk are to be preferred as they enable the law enforcement officers to check the validity of the card without any special means.

(b)Data storage and protection

Preceded by the harmonised common codes (where appropriate, in connection with the individual codes of the Member States according to point 2, point (g)), the following data shall or may be additionally stored on the card surface bearing the legible information as per point (a):

(i)Data as per point 2, points (d) and (e).

All data specified in point 2, points (d) and (e) shall be mandatorily stored on the card.

(ii)Other data as per point 2, point (f).

Moreover, the Member States are free to store more data as perpoint 2, point (f) to the necessary extent.

(iii)Other data as per point 2, point (g).

Optionally, additional information may be stored on the card.

The data from the points (i) and (ii) is stored in two corresponding files with transparent structure (see ISO/IEC 7816-4). The Member States may specify the storage of data from point (iii) according to their requirements.

There are no read restrictions on these files.

Write access to these files shall be restricted to the national competent authorities (and their authorised agencies) in the Member State issuing the smart card.

Write access is permitted only after an asymmetric authentication with session key exchange for protecting the session between the vehicle registration card and a security module (e.g. a security module card) of the national competent authorities (or their authorised agencies). Thereby card verifiable certificates according to ISO/IEC 7816-8 are exchanged before the authentication process. The card verifiable certificates contain the corresponding public keys to be retrieved and to be used in the following authentication process. These certificates are signed by the national competent authorities and contain an authorisation object (certificate holder authorisation) according to ISO/IEC 7816-9 in order to encode role specific authorisation to the card. This role authorisation is related to the national competent authority (e.g. to update a data field).

The corresponding public keys of the national competent authority are stored as trust anchor (root public key) in the card.

The specification of the files and commands needed for the authentication process and the writing process is under the responsibility of the Member States. The security assurance has to be approved by common criteria evaluation according to EAL4+. The augmentations are as follows: 1. AVA_MSU.3 Analysis and testing for insecure states; 2. AVA_VLA.4 Highly resistant.

(iv)Verification data for authenticity of registration data

The issuing authority calculates its electronic signature about the complete data of a file containing the data of the points (i) and (ii) and stores it in a related file. These signatures allow the authenticity of the stored data to be verified. The cards shall store the following data:

(1)electronic signature of registration data related to point (i),

(2)electronic signature of registration data related to point (ii).

For verification of these electronic signatures the card shall store:

(1)certificates of the issuing authority calculating the signatures about the data of points (i) and (ii).

Electronic signatures and the certificates shall be readable without restriction. Write access to electronic signatures and certificates shall be restricted to the national competent authorities.

(c)Interface 

External contacts should be used for interfacing. A combination of external contacts with a transponder is optional.

(d)Storage capacity of the card

The card shall have sufficient capacity to store the data mentioned inpoint (b).

(e)Standards

The chip card and reading devices used shall comply with the following standards:

ISO 7810: Standards for identification cards (plastic cards): Physical characteristics,

ISO 7816-1 and -2: Physical characteristics of chip cards, dimensions and location of contacts,

ISO 7816-3: Electrical characteristics of contacts, trans-mission protocols,

ISO 7816-4: Communication contents, chip card datastructure, safety architecture, access mechanisms,

ISO 7816-5: Structure of application identifiers, selection and execution of application identifiers, registration procedure for application identifiers (numbering system),

ISO 7816-6: Inter-industry data elements for interchange,

ISO 7816-8: Integrated circuit(s) cards with contacts - Security related inter-industry commands,

ISO 7816-9: Integrated circuit(s) cards with contacts - Enhanced inter-industry commands.

(f)Technical Characteristics and Transmission Protocols

The format shall be ID-1 (normal size, see ISO/IEC 7810).

The card shall support transmission protocol T=1 in compliance with ISO/IEC 7816-3. Additionally other transmission protocols may be supported, e.g. T=0, USB or contactless protocols.

For bit transmission the ‘direct convention’ shall be applied (see ISO/IEC 7816-3).

(i)Supply voltage, programming voltage

The card shall work with Vcc = 3V (+/0.3V) or with Vcc = 5V (+/0,5V). The card shall not require a programming voltage at pin C6.

(ii)Answer to reset

The Information Field Size Card byte shall be presented at the ATR in character TA3. This value shall be at least ‘80h’ (=128 bytes).

(iii)Protocol parameter selection

The support of Protocol parameter selection (PPS) according to ISO/IEC 7816-3 is mandatory. It is used for selecting T=1, if T=0 is additionally present in the card, and to negotiate the Fi/Di parameters for achieving higher transmission rates.

(iv)Transmission protocol T = 1

The support of chaining is mandatory.

The following simplifications are allowed:

(1)NAD Byte: not used (NAD should be set to ‘00’

),

(2)S-Block ABORT: not used,

(3)S-Block VPP state error: not used.

The information field size device (IFSD) shall be indicated from the IFD immediately after ATR, i.e. the IFD shall transmit the S-Block IFS Request after ATR and the card shall send back S-Block IFS. The recommended value for IFSD is 254 bytes.

(g)Temperature range

The registration certificate in smart card format shall properly function under all climatic conditions usually prevailing in the territories of the Union and at least in the temperature range specified in ISO 7810. The cards shall be capable of operating correctly in the humidity range 10% to 90%.

(h)Physical lifetime

If used in accordance with the environmental and electricity-related specifications, the card must function properly for a period of ten years. The material of the card must be chosen in such a way that this lifetime is ensured.

(i)Electrical characteristics

During operation, the cards shall conform to Regulation (EU) 2019/2144, of the European Council and of the Parliament 2(2) related to electromagnetic compatibility, and shall be protected against electrostatic discharges.

(j)File structure

Table 1 lists the mandatory elementary files (EF) of the application DF (see ISO/IEC 7816-4) DF.Registration. All these files have a transparent structure. The access requirements are described in point (b). The file sizes are specified by the Member States according their requirements.

Table 1

(k)Data structure

The stored certificates are in the X.509v3 format according to ISO/IEC 9594-8. The electronic signatures are stored transparently.

The registration data is stored as BER-TLV data objects (see ISO/IEC 7816-4) in the corresponding elementary files. The value fields are coded as ASCII character as defined by ISO/IEC 8824-1, the values ‘C0’-‘FF’ are defined by ISO/IEC 8859-1 (Latin1 character set), ISO/IEC 8859-7 (Greek character set) or ISO/IEC 8859-5 (Cyrillic character set). The format of dates is YYYYMMDD.

Table 2 lists the Tags identifying the data objects corresponding to the registration data of the point 2, points (d) and (e) together with additional data from point (a). Unless otherwise stated, the data objects listed in Table 2 are mandatory. Optional data objects may be omitted. The column of the Tag indicates the level of nesting.

Table 2

Table 3 lists the Tags identifying the data objects corresponding to the registration data of point 2, point (f). The data objects listed in Table 3 are optional.

Table 3

Structure and format of the data according to point 2, point (g) are specified by the Member States.

(l)Reading the registration data

(i)Application Selection

The application ‘Vehicle Registration’ shall be selectable by a SELECT DF (by name, see ISO/IEC 7816-4) with its application identifier (AID). The AID value is requested from a laboratory selected by the European Commission.

(ii)Reading data from files

The files corresponding to point 2, points (d), (e) and (f) shall be selectable by SELECT (see ISO/IEC 7816-4) with the command parameters P1 set to ‘02’, P2 set to ‘04’ and the command data field containing the file identifier (see point (j), Table 1). The returned FCP template contains the file size which can be useful for reading these files.

These files shall be readable with READ BINARY (see ISO/IEC 7816-4) with an absent command data field and Le set to the length of the expected data, using a short Le.

(iii)Verification of data authenticity

To verify the authenticity of the stored registration data, the corresponding electronic signature may be verified. This means that besides the registration data also the corresponding electronic signature may be read from the registration card.

The public key for signature verification can be retrieved by reading the corresponding issuing authority certificate from the registration card. Certificates contain the public key and the identity of the corresponding authority. The signature verification may be performed by another system than the registration card.

The Member States are free to retrieve the public keys and certificates for verifying the issuing authority certificate. 

(m)Special provisions

Irrespective of the other provisions herein, the Member States, after notifying the European Commission, may add colours, marks or symbols. In addition, for certain data of point (b)(iii), the Member States may allow XML format and may allow access via TCP/IP.

Member States may, with the agreement of the European Commission, add other applications for which no harmonised rules or documents exist yet at EU level (e.g. roadworthiness certificate), on the vehicle registration card to realise additional vehicle related services.

(1) (1)    (1) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683 of 15 April 2020 implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regards to the administrative requirements for the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles (OJ L 163, 26.5.2020, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2020/683/oj).

(2) (2)    Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on type-approval requirements for motor vehicles and their trailers, and systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, as regards their general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users, amending Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulations (EC) No 78/2009, (EC) No 79/2009 and (EC) No 661/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulations (EC) No 631/2009, (EU) No 406/2010, (EU) No 672/2010, (EU) No 1003/2010, (EU) No 1005/2010, (EU) No 1008/2010, (EU) No 1009/2010, (EU) No 19/2011, (EU) No 109/2011, (EU) No 458/2011, (EU) No 65/2012, (EU) No 130/2012, (EU) No 347/2012, (EU) No 351/2012, (EU) No 1230/2012 and (EU) 2015/166 (OJ L 325, 16.12.2019, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/2144/oj).

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 24.4.2025

COM(2025) 179 final

ANNEX

to the

DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

on the registration documents for vehicles and vehicle registration data recorded in national vehicle registers and repealing Council Directive 1999/37/EC

{SEC(2025) 119 final} - {SWD(2025) 96 final} - {SWD(2025) 97 final} - {SWD(2025) 98 final} - {SWD(2025) 99 final}

Annex II

Part II of the registration certificate

1.This part may be implemented in either of two formats: as a paper document or as a smart card. The characteristics of the paper document version are specified in point 2 and those of the smart card version in point 3.

2.Specifications of Part II of the registration certificate in paper format

(a)The overall dimensions of the registration certificate shall not be greater than an A4 format (210 × 297 mm) or a folder of A4 format.

(b)The paper used for part II of the registration certificate shall be made secure against forgery by using at least two of the following techniques:

(i)graphics,

(ii)watermark,

(iii)fluorescent fibres, or

(iv)fluorescent imprints.

Member States are free to introduce additional security features.

(c)Part II of the registration certificate may consist of several pages. Member States shall determine the number of pages in accordance with the information contained in the document and its layout.

(d)The first page of Part II of the registration certificate shall contain

(i)the name of the Member State issuing Part II of the registration certificate,

(ii)the distinguishing mark of the Member State issuing Part II of the registration certificate, namely:

B: Belgium

BG: Bulgaria

CZ: Czech Republic

DK: Denmark

D: Germany

EST: Estonia

GR: Greece

E: Spain

F: France

HR: Croatia

IRL: Ireland

I: Italy

CY: Cyprus

LV: Latvia

LT: Lithuania

L: Luxembourg

H: Hungary

M: Malta

NL: Netherlands

A: Austria

PL: Poland

P: Portugal

RO: Romania

SLO: Slovenia

SK: Slovakia

FIN: Finland

S: Sweden

(iii)the name of the competent authority,

(iv)the words ‘Part II of the Registration Certificate’, printed in large type in the language or languages of the Member States issuing the registration certificate; they shall also appear, after a suitable space, in small type, in the other languages of the European Union,

(v)the words ‘European Union’, printed in the language or languages of the Member State issuing Part II of the registration certificate,

(vi)the number of the document.

(e)Part II of the Registration Certificate shall also contain the following data, preceded by the corresponding harmonised Union codes:

(A) registration number,

(B) date of the first registration of the vehicle,

(C.2) owner of the vehicle,

(C.2.1) surname(s) or business name,

(C.2.2) other name(s) or initial(s) (where appropriate),

(C.2.3) address in the Member State of registration, on the date of issue of the document,

(D) vehicle:

(D.1) make,

(D.2) type,

- variant (if available),

- version (if available),

(D.3) commercial description(s),

(E) vehicle identification number,

(J) vehicle category,

(J.1) bodywork,

(K) whole-vehicle vehicle type-approval number (if available).

(f)Part II of the registration certificate may, moreover, contain the following data, preceded by the corresponding harmonised Union codes:

(C) personal data,

(C.3) natural or legal person who may use the vehicle by virtue of a legal right other than that of ownership,

(C.3.1) surname(s) or business name,

(C.3.2) other name(s) or initial(s) (where appropriate),

(C.3.3) address in the Member State of registration, on the date of issue of the document,

(C.5), (C.6) where a change in the personal data given in point (e), code (C.2) and/or code (C.3) does not give rise to the issue of a new Part II of the Registration Certificate, the new personal data corresponding to these points may be included under codes (C.5) or (C.6); they are broken down in accordance with point (e) code (C.2) and code (C.3).

(g)Member States may include additional information in Part II of the registration certificate; in particular, they may add between brackets to the identification codes, as laid down under points (e) and (f), additional national codes.

3.Specifications of Part II of the Registration Certificate in smart card format (Alternative to the specimen in paper format described in point 2)

(a)Card format and data legible with the eye

Being a microprocessor card, the chip card shall be designed in accordance with the standards mentioned in point (e).

Printed on the front and back of the card shall be at least the data specified in point 2, points (d) and (e); these data shall be legible with the eye (minimum character height: 6 points) and printed on as follows. (Examples of possible layouts are presented in Figure 2 at the end of this section)

(i)Basic Imprint

Front

(1)To the right of the chip location:

in the language(s) of the Member State issuing the Registration Certificate

—the words ‘European Union’,

—the name of the Member State issuing the Registration Certificate,

—the words ‘Part II of the Registration Certificate’ printed in large type,

—another (e.g. previous national) designation of the equivalent document (optional),

—the name of the competent authority (alternatively, also in the form of a personalisation imprint as per point (ii)),

—the unambiguous consecutive number of the document as used within the Member State (alternatively, also in the form of a personalisation imprint as per point (ii)).

(2)Above the chip location:

The distinguishing mark of the Member State issuing the Registration Certificate, white in a blue rectangle and surrounded by 12 yellow stars:

B Belgium

BG: Bulgaria

CZ: Czech Republic

DK: Denmark

D: Germany

EST: Estonia

GR: Greece

E: Spain

F: France

HR: Croatia

IRL: Ireland

I: Italy

CY: Cyprus

LV: Latvia

LT: Lithuania

L: Luxembourg

H: Hungary

M: Malta

NL: Netherlands

A: Austria

PL: Poland

P: Portugal

RO: Romania

SLO: Slovenia

SK: Slovakia

FIN: Finland

S: Sweden

(3)Member States might consider adding, at the lower edge in small type and in their national language(s), the note: ‘This document should be kept in a safe place outside the vehicle.’

(4)The basic colour of the card is red (Pantone 194); alternatively, a red-to-white transition is possible.

(5)A symbol representing a wheel (see proposed lay-out) shall be printed within the printing area in the bottom left corner of the card front.

(6)In other respects, the provisions of point (m) shall apply.

(ii)Personalisation imprint

The personalisation imprint shall contain the following information:

Back

The back shall bear at least the remaining data specified in point 2, point (e).

According to point 2, point (g), individual national codes may be added to the preceding harmonised Union codes.

In detail, these vehicle data are:

(C.2) owner of the vehicle,

(C.2.1) surname(s) or business name,

(C.2.2) other name(s) or initial(s) (where appropriate),

(C.2.3) address in the Member State of registration, on the date of issue of the document,

(D.1) make,

(D.2) type (variant/version, where appropriate),

(D.3) commercial description(s),

(E) vehicle identification number,

(J) vehicle category,

(J.1) bodywork,

(K) Vehicle-type vehicle type-approval number (if available).

Optionally, additional data from point 2, point (f) (with the harmonised codes) and point 2, point (g) may be added on the back of the card.

Front

(1)the name of the competent authority – see also point (i),

(2)the name of the authority issuing the Registration Certificate (optional),

(3)the unambiguous consecutive number of the document as used within the Member State – see also point (i),

(4)the following data from point 2, point (e),

(5)according to point 2, point (g), individual national codes may be added to the preceding harmonised Union codes:

(A) registration number (official licence number),

(B) date of first registration of the vehicle.

Back

(iii)Physical security features of the smart card

The threats to the physical security of documents are:

(1)Production of false cards: creating a new object which bears great resemblance to the document, either by making it from scratch or by copying an original document.

(2)Material alteration: changing a property of an original document, e.g. modifying some of the data printed on the document.

As a basis, the techniques indicated with an asterisk are to be preferred as they enable the law enforcement officers to check the validity of the card without any special means.

The material used for Part II of the registration certificate shall be and secure against forgery by using at least three of the following techniques:

—microprinting,

—guilloche printing*,

—iridescent printing,

—laser engraving,

—ultraviolet fluorescent ink,

—inks with viewing angle — dependent colour*,

—inks with temperature — dependent colour*,

—custom holograms*,

—variable laser images,

—optical variable images.

Member States are free to introduce additional security features.

(b)Data storage and protection

Preceded by the harmonised common codes (where appropriate, in connection with the individual codes of the Member States according topoint 2, point (g)), the following data shall or may be additionally stored on the card surface bearing the legible information as per point (a):

(i)Data as per point 2, points (d) and (e).

All data specified in point 2, points (d) and (e) shall be mandatorily stored on the card.

(ii)Other data as per point point 2, point (f).

Moreover, the Member States are free to store more data as perpoint 2, point (f), to the necessary extent.

(iii)Other data as per point point 2, point (g).

Optionally, further vehicle-related data of general interest may be stored on the card.

The data from the points (i) and (ii) are stored in two corresponding files with transparent structure (see ISO/IEC 7816-4). The Member States may specify the storage of data from point (iii) according their requirements.

There are no read restrictions on these files.

Write access to these files shall be restricted to the national competent authorities (and their authorised Agencies) in the Member State issuing the smart card.

Write access is permitted only after an asymmetric authentication with session key exchange for protecting the session between the vehicle registration card and a Security Module (e.g. a Security Module Card) of the national competent authorities (or their authorised Agencies). Thereby Card Verifiable certificates according to ISO/IEC 7816-8 are exchanged before the authentication process. The Card Verifiable certificates contain the corresponding public keys to be retrieved and to be used in the following authentication process. These certificates are signed by the national competent authorities and contain an authorisation object (certificate holder authorisation) according to ISO/IEC 7816-9 in order to encode role specific authorisation to the card. This role authorisation is related to the national competent authority (e.g. to update a data field).

The corresponding public keys of the national competent authority are stored as trust anchor (root public key) in the card.

The specification of the files and commands needed for the authentication process and the writing process is under responsibility of the Member States. The security assurance has to be approved by Common Criteria Evaluation according to EAL4+. The augmentations are as follows: 1. AVA MSU.3 Analysis and testing for insecure states; 2. AVA VLA.4 Highly resistant.

(iv)Verification data for authenticity of registration data

The issuing authority calculates its electronic signature about the complete data of a file containing the data of the points (i) and (ii) and stores it in a related file. These signatures allow the authenticity of the stored data to be verified. The cards shall store the following data:

(1)electronic signature of registration data related to point (i),

(2)electronic signature of registration data related to point (ii).

For verification of these electronic signatures the card shall store:

(1)certificates of the issuing authority calculating the signatures about the data of points (i) and (ii).

Electronic signatures and the certificates shall be readable without restriction. Write access to electronic signatures and certificates shall be restricted to the national competent authorities.

(c)Interface 

External contacts should be used for interfacing. A combination of external contacts with a transponder is optional.

(d)Storage capacity of the card 

The card shall have sufficient capacity to store the data mentioned inpoint (b).

(e)Standards  

The chip card and reading devices used shall comply with the following standards:

(f)Technical characteristics and transmission protocols

The format shall be ID-1 (normal size, see ISO/IEC 7810).

The card shall support transmission protocol T = 1 in compliance with ISO/IEC 7816-3. Additionally other transmission protocols may be supported, e.g. T=0, USB or contactless protocols.

For bit transmission the ‘direct convention’ shall be applied (see ISO/IEC 7816-3).

(i)Supply voltage, programming voltage

The card shall work with Vcc = 3V (+/0.3V) or with Vcc = 5V (+/0.5V). The card shall not require a programming voltage at pin C6.

(ii)Answer to reset

The Information Field Size Card byte shall be presented at the ATR in character TA3. This value shall be at least ‘80h’ (=128 bytes).

(iii)Protocol parameter selection

The support of protocol parameter selection (PPS) according to ISO/IEC 7816-3 is mandatory. It is used for selecting T=1, if T=0 is additionally present in the card, and to negotiate the Fi/Di parameters for achieving higher transmission rates.

(iv)Transmission protocol T=1

The support of chaining is mandatory.

The following simplifications are allowed:

(1)NAD Byte: not used (NAD should be set to ‘00’),

(2)S-Block ABORT: not used,

(3)S-Block VPP state error: not used.

The information field size device (IFSD) shall be indicated from the IFD immediately after ATR, i.e. the IFD shall transmit the S-block IFS request after ATR and the card shall send back S-block IFS. The recommended value for IFSD is 254 bytes.

(g)Temperature range

The registration certificate in smart card format shall properly function under all climatic conditions usually prevailing in the territories of the Union and at least in the temperature range specified in ISO 7810. The cards shall be capable of operating correctly in the humidity range 10 % to 90%.

(h)Physical lifetime 

If used in accordance with the environmental and electricity-related specifications, the card must function properly for a period of ten years. The material of the card must be chosen in such a way that this lifetime is ensured.

(i)Electrical characteristics

During operation, the cards shall conform to the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 related to electromagnetic compatibility, and shall be protected against electrostatic discharges. 

(j)File structure 

Table 4 lists the mandatory elementary files (EF) of the application DF (see ISO/IEC 7816-4) DF.Registration. All these files have a transparent structure. The access requirements are described in point (b). The file sizes are specified by the Member States according their requirements.

Table 4