From 2027, the chance of being obliged to pay a traffic fine in another European member state is set to rise. European countries then start to pass on number plate data to each other for more offences than at present daily Het Nieuwsblad reports.
If you are caught committing a traffic offence in another European member state you may have to pay a fine on the spot. But if the offence is only recorded on camera the member state is required to ask your home country for the identity of the owner of the number plate to allow it to dispatch a fine. Until now, that was only done for a limited number of offences. But from 2027, the list will be expanded.
‘Europe has chosen to focus first on the biggest killers in traffic,’ says Edward Landtsheere of Belgium’s federal public justice ministry. ‘That's why data was already exchanged for speeding fines and fines on alcohol and drugs in traffic. But to improve road safety, that list is now being expanded from eight to 18 offences.’
The fine will be delivered in your own language. And member states will also no longer be allowed to use a collection agency to collect that fine. It will have to be done by the country’s authorities themselves. That should avoid extra costs. ‘But it does mean that it will take some time to implement the new system. Belgium already dispatches fines in all EU languages, but some countries have yet to develop such a system,’ explains Mr Landtsheere. ‘We will use this time to translate everything into Belgian law.’
More EU legislation is on the way. It will allow member states to see who has received a driving ban in another country. At present, if a judge issues a driving ban, it is not visible to foreign police forces. That too is set to change.