Europe is going digital, but Germany is lagging behind

The EU is working on how road traffic can be made more uniform throughout Europe and how administration can be simplified. The goal is safer roads and better prosecution of traffic offences. Even the driver’s license is not spared from changes, but in this country you probably take a lot of time with it.

Paper and credit cards should be a thing of the past. Instead, citizens should get a digital driver’s license that they carry with them on their cell phones. If you don’t have a smartphone, you can still use your physical ID card. According to a first draft, it should be given a QR code.

Digital offers many advantages

Replace, renew, exchange: the positive aspects are obvious. A European Commissioner put it this way:

The EU has already prepared a first mock-up.

It is still unclear when such a change will come. All that is known is that the EU insists on rapid implementation.

Germany is still collecting The patch a

At the same time, the German plans sound anything but fast: by 2033, the federal and state governments are to exchange 43 million paper notes. However, this is compatible with the EU plans.

The EU is going the digital route, while Germany will still be switching to check cards for a whole decade – let’s see how long we have to wait for a possible digital rag.

By the way: The exchange is already in full swing. For driver’s licenses issued before December 31, 1998, the year of birth is important. Then you have to The patch switch to credit card:

From January 1, 1999, it is no longer the year of birth that counts, but the date of issue of the driver’s license:

The EU is planning a sensible reform and wants to give the physical driving license a digital home. In Germany, people are currently at least 10 years behind. Do you think this is a good idea? Or would you prefer to keep the credit card in your wallet? How do you feel about the German discourse? Feel free to let us know in the comments!