Lawmakers in the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism are poised this week to back sweeping reforms to vehicle registration systems across the European Union, aiming to accelerate digitalisation, strengthen cross‑border cooperation and crack down on fraud.
Members of the committee are expected to adopt a report led by European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) rapporteur Adrian Axinia, which proposes harmonised rules for vehicle registration documents and national databases. The overhaul is designed to move member states away from paper‑based systems toward fully digital registers, while safeguarding citizens’ rights and practical needs.
The draft legislation would introduce machine‑readable QR codes on registration certificates and expand the type and quality of information stored in national vehicle registers. Key additions include metadata on automated driving features, clearer records of ownership changes, and updated status flags for vehicles that are temporarily deregistered or under suspension.
Crucially for motorists, the proposal ensures that citizens can still request paper certificates where required and will have free online access to their own registration data. Simplified procedures are expected to reduce administrative delays, particularly for drivers who move between EU countries and need to re‑register their vehicles.
In a statement ahead of the vote, Mr Axinia said the reforms would “bring clarity and consistency to a patchwork of national systems” and enhance cooperation between authorities in tackling criminal practices such as odometer tampering and the circulation of stolen or improperly documented vehicles.
Transport industry groups and consumer advocates have broadly welcomed the initiative, noting that greater digital interoperability could reduce costs and improve transparency across the single market. However, some member states have raised concerns about implementation costs and the need to ensure robust data‑protection safeguards under EU law.
If approved by the TRAN committee this week, the proposal will move to the full European Parliament for further debate, with the goal of adopting a final text later in the spring. The Commission has argued that modernised vehicle registration is a key building block for a more efficient and secure European transport ecosystem.
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