KEY NEWS 1/4 — EU
The EU approves Modernized Driving Licence Rules to Boost Road Safety
The European Union has approved new EU driving licence regulations designed to enhance road safety across the Union. The changes include:
- Driving licenses for cars and motorcycles valid for up to 15 years;
- A minimum two-year probationary period for novice drivers;
- Introduction of a digital driving licence, while preserving the right to a physical card;
- Strengthened cross-border enforcement of disqualifications for serious traffic offences.
Why It Matters
With nearly 20,000 road-fatalities annually in the EU, these changes mark a concrete push toward the “Vision Zero” goal: eliminating deaths and serious injuries on European roads. By modernising licence standards, improving training and enforcement and enabling digital transformation, the EU is stepping up its road safety ambitions
Detailed Explanation
- Training & Testing Enhancements: Licence applicants will now face updated theory and practical tests with a greater focus on blind-spot awareness, driver-assistance systems, safe door-opening practices, and mobile-phone distraction risks. Attention to vulnerable road users—pedestrians, children, cyclists—will also be heightened.
- Licence Validity & Medical Checks: Licences for categories M (passenger cars) and A (motorcycles) will typically be valid for up to 15 years, though Member States may reduce that to 10 years if the licence doubles as a national ID. Bus and truck licences (categories D and C) will have a 5-year timeframe, with older drivers facing more frequent medical or refresher requirements.
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Novice and Accompanied Drivers: New drivers will face a mandatory probationary period of at least two years. Under-18 drivers may drive cars (category B) while accompanied. Younger ages will also apply for professional licences: 18 for trucks and 21 for buses—provided certain competence conditions are met.
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Digital Licence & Retention of Physical Card: A mobile driving licence will gradually become the default format across the EU. However, drivers will retain the right to request a physical licence, which must be issued promptly (generally within three weeks).
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Cross-Border Disqualification Enforcement: Licence withdrawal, suspension or restrictions imposed in one Member State must be communicated immediately to the licence-issuing Member State so that penalties cannot be evaded by driving elsewhere in the Union. Severe offences include drink- or drug-driving, involvement in fatal accidents or extreme speed.
KEY NEWS 2/4 — EU
European Automotive Omnibus Regulation Package
In early 2025, the European Commission launched the Omnibus Package, a set of regulatory simplification initiatives aimed at restoring competitiveness and reducing administrative burdens across several sectors of the EU economy. Within this wider framework, the Automotive Omnibus constitutes the sector-specific component targeting the automotive industry.
The initiative stems directly from the Industrial Action Plan for the European Automotive Sector, adopted in March 2025, which committed the Commission to undertake a simplification exercise in close consultation with stakeholders. The Automotive Omnibus focuses exclusively on vehicle-specific regulations and proposes targeted amendments that cannot be achieved through secondary legislation.
The objective is to restore the long-term competitiveness of the European automotive industry by creating a simpler, more coherent regulatory framework with reduced administrative and testing burdens, while maintaining environmental and safety performance.
It identifies six key regulatory areas for simplification:
- Electric vans (N1–N2) – Address weight-driven reclassification and resulting tachograph and speed-limiter obligations.
- Motorhomes – Clarify tachograph exemptions following CJEU Case C-666/21.
- Euro 7 Regulation – Reduce redundant testing requirements for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles.
- Noise regulation – Eliminate duplication between EU and UNECE frameworks.
- L-category vehicles (motorcycles, mopeds, quads) – Introduce flexibility in the end-of-series mechanism.
- Small affordable electric cars – Support a viable market segment through a potential new sub-category (M1E or M0).
KEY NEWS 3/4 — CANADA
Canada Updates Six Technical Standards Documents to Align with U.S. FMVSS Regulations
Transport Canada has introduced a coordinated update to six Canadian Technical Standards Documents (TSDs) — Nos. 105, 121, 122, 126, 135, and 500 — to ensure continued regulatory harmonisation with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). These revisions modernize testing parameters, friction coefficients, and performance evaluation criteria across multiple vehicle systems.
All six updated TSDs entered into force on 18 August 2025 and will become mandatory on 18 February 2026, following a six-month transitional period.
The new updates affect a broad range of vehicle systems and categories:
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TSD No. 105 – Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems: Refines road surface friction requirements and testing conditions to improve accuracy and repeatability in braking performance evaluations. Aligned with FMVSS 105.
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TSD No. 121 – Air Brake Systems: Updates friction coefficients across all sections to ensure consistency in braking efficiency assessment for heavy-duty vehicles. Aligned with FMVSS 121.
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TSD No. 122 – Motorcycle Brake Systems: Revises friction coefficients and testing parameters for service and parking brakes, maintaining equivalence with U.S. motorcycle safety standards. Aligned with FMVSS 122.
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TSD No. 126 – Electronic Stability Control (ESC): Updates the friction coefficient values used in test procedures while maintaining all existing safety performance requirements. Aligned with FMVSS 126.
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TSD No. 135 – Light Vehicle Brake Systems: Adjusts friction coefficients in braking tests to strengthen consistency and harmonize with U.S. procedures. Aligned with FMVSS 135.
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TSD No. 500 – Low-Speed Vehicles: Modifies testing procedures and friction coefficient parameters to ensure equivalent performance verification methods.
Aligned with FMVSS 500
Together, these amendments enhance cross-border regulatory consistency between Canada and the United States, streamline testing and certification processes, and support a unified North American vehicle safety framework.
KEY NEWS 4/4 — EU
The EU Simplifies CBAM: new amending regulation explained
It has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, the Regulation (EU) 2025/2083. This regulation amends R(EU) 2023/956 — the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) framework — by introducing a new mass-based on minimis threshold and simplifying administrative obligations for small-volume importers. The aim is to balance climate ambition with regulatory burden, covering around 99% of embedded emissions while easing compliance for many importers.
This Regulation entered into force on 20 October 2025.
Key changes introduced include:
- A new single mass-based threshold: Importers whose cumulative net mass of goods listed in Annex I of Regulation 2023/956 does not exceed 50 tonnes per calendar year are exempt from CBAM obligations (reporting, certificate surrender) provided they stay under that threshold.
- For importers exceeding the threshold, all emissions embedded in their imported goods will be subject to the full CBAM obligations.
- The regulation adds controls to ensure that the exemption still meets the goal of covering at least 99% of embedded emissions. The Commission is empowered to adjust the threshold via delegated acts if needed.
- Article 21 is amended: The price of CBAM certificates will be calculated as the average weekly closing price of EU ETS allowances (or, for 2026 embedded emissions, a quarterly average) under Delegated Regulation 2023/2830.
Additional updates include new obligations for verifiers, adjustments to the common central platform fees, and other procedural refinements
Source: Essex Chambers of Commerce & Industry (2025), CBAM consultancy service, https://www.essexchambers.co.uk/new-cbam-consultancy-service/