Acts on lightweight cars repealed

The Government proposes that, in accordance with Parliament's decision, the President of the Republic adopt the act repealing the Acts on lightweight cars. The President of the Republic adopted the Act on Thursday, 22 October 2020, and it will enter into force on 1 November 2020.

The Acts on lightweight cars were repealed, because, despite the active efforts of the Finnish authorities, the European Commission has not granted Finland a derogation for the introduction of lightweight cars. According to the Commission, the Acts adopted in Finland in 2018 are in breach of the EU Driving Licence Directive.

The measures by the Commission are based on the several complaints received by the Commission concerning Finland's Acts on lightweight cars.

The Acts were originally supposed to enter into force as of 1 November 2019, but Parliament decided in autumn 2019 to postpone the entry into force of the Acts by one year until 1 November 2020.

Since no solution to amend the Acts so that they would be in line with the Directive and meet the requirements of the Commission could be found within the time limit, repealing the Acts was finally considered to be the only legally valid option. This means that lightweight cars cannot be introduced in Finland at least in the coming years.

Finland aims to influence the future of the EU Driving Licence Directive

The Ministry of Transport and Communications will continue to be actively engaged with the Commission during the possible reform of the Driving Licence Directive. According to the Commission, it will open a public consultation on the Driving Licence Directive in autumn 2020. A legislative proposal will possibly be submitted in early 2021.

Finland is well placed to offer the Commission concrete proposals and solutions on how to reform the Directive in order to promote the safety of young drivers.

Once the Commission has submitted its legislative proposal, the EU legislative procedure itself will take an average of 1-2 years. Time will also be required for national implementation.

Inquiries

Sini Wirén, Director of Unit, tel. +358 40 507 0916, Twitter: @WirenSini

Mari Starck, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 50 478 1164