Hi guys. I realise this is not the usual first posting but the BMF needs your help today. We need you to e-mail your MP as a matter of urgency.
Early this month, there were rumours that the Austrian Presidency of the European Union was cooking up a scheme with Germany to fast track agreement of a Common Position on the Third EC Driving Licence Directive. Austria and Germany have disagreed with some of the proposals, particularly those relating to the life of driving licences and their renewal but showed no interest in the motorcycling proposals. Germany even praised them at the last Council of Ministers meeting in December. Nevertheless, they opposed agreement of a Common Position at the time. The proposal that they were considering in early March, as one of several options was that there should be a lengthy period before implementation of the Directive effectively sparing those who agreed to it any embarrassment when it was put in place since they would be unlikely to still be in office.
We learned only this week that Austria and Germany intend to put the Third EC Driving Licence Directive in its current form but with a lengthy implementation date on the agenda of Council of Ministers on Monday 27th March with a view to agreeing a Common Position. They have designated it an ‘A’ topic i.e. one to be voted on without discussion. Throughout the UK Presidency and during the current Austrian Presidency, there has been a marked reluctance to open the text of the draft Directive to discuss even the issues that the Council members regard as sticking points let alone the motorcycling proposals. Hence there is little or no chance of the Council considering the European motorcycling community’s amendments to moderate the motorcycling proposals or the UK motorcycling community’s more radical approach of deleting them entirely to be revisited at a later time. BMF representatives brought this to the attention of Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman at a meeting on Wednesday but he claims that he has been unable to find support from other national governments at Council of Ministers meetings and that even the industry with the exception of Honda UK have made few representations. Even the Italians and Germans with indigenous motorcycle industries have shown no interest. A ‘non-paper’ submitted by the UK Government on the motorcycling proposals was rejected by all other parties. Dr Ladyman has agreed to register his disapproval of the proposal at the Council but indicated that he will be abstaining from the vote rather than voting against the proposals.
This has a number of implications. This action is contrary to the indications given by the Austrian Presidency and the UK Government where it appeared that with so many differences, the Third EC Driving Licence Directive would be allowed to run out of time and be withdrawn for redrafting. The reluctance by the Council to debate it is also a concern with their justification being that they are reluctant to lose the points on which they are agreed. There is the question that if the time for implementation has been changed, then the text of the draft Directive has been amended and it should be subject to a debate. This all comes across as fundamentally undemocratic with governments who are supposed to represent the interests of their citizens failing to make transparent decisions. The agreement of a Common Position completes the First Reading and allows the draft Directive to proceed to the Second Reading initially in the European Parliament. With the ongoing reluctance to discuss the text, the Rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs want a formal Second Reading in which the draft Directive in its current form will merely be rubber-stamped. So, the next stage will be to demand a full Second Reading and that the motorcycling elements are, at least considered, if not deleted. In the interim, we should contact our MPs to whom Stephen Ladyman is answerable NOW to call for him to adopt a more robust position. Please send an e-mail to your MP based upon the following:
To: ----------------------------, MP
From: ----------------------------
Address: ----------------------------
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Dear ------------------------------,
It has just come to my notice that the draft Third EC Driving Licence Directive is to be subject to undemocratic procedures at the Council of Ministers meeting on Monday 27th March. The Austrian Presidency of the European Union proposes to extend the period for its implementation and vote on a Common Position without discussion. The UK motorcycling community has consistently expressed concerns about the motorcycling proposals in the draft Directive which will have a devastating effect on the use of motorcycles and their benefits in addressing congestion and social exclusion by restricting access to them yet failing to improve road safety. We believe that there should at least be full discussion of the motorcycling issues at the Council of Ministers meeting and preferably their deletion from the draft Directive so that meaningful proposals taking the latest research can be drafted.
At a recent meeting with representatives from the British Motorcyclists Federation, Minister for Transport, Dr Stephen Ladyman claimed that he had received no support from other EU member states with regard to the motorcycling measures in the Third EC Driving Licence Directive and so, at Monday’s Council of Ministers proposed to register the concerns of the UK motorcycling community but to abstain rather than voting against agreement of a Common Position.
There is a serious danger that if the Council agrees a Common Position without discussion, then the European Parliament will also be reluctant to fully debate the text of the draft Directive. The inevitable outcome of this will be the implementation of measures damaging to the future of motorcycling which have not been subject to transparent and democratic procedures. Please use your influence with the Minister to ask him to more diligently seek the support of potential allies and to conduct a more robust defence, not only of UK motorcyclists’ interests but the principles of democracy in the European Union.
Yours sincerely,
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Cheers, guys! Have a drink on me!