EEA EFTA States welcome efforts to strengthen European road safety

Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway welcome the EU's new Roadworthiness Package and support its ambition to promote road safety, improve the detection of defective vehicles and optimise the exchange of vehicle registration documents.

On 24 April 2025, the European Commission presented a legislative package updating the current rules on periodic roadworthiness testing, roadside inspections and vehicle registration. On 4 December 2025, the Council adopted its General Approach with key amendments to the proposals.

In a new EEA EFTA Comment, the EEA EFTA States encourage the co-legislators to maintain the current scope of tests and minimum frequencies for periodic technical inspections (PTIs) for cars older than ten years. National data in the EEA EFTA States show that technical defects are a limited cause of accidents involving passenger cars, and the safety benefits of more frequent testing are uncertain.

The EEA EFTA States support Member States retaining national flexibility to include light motorcycles in the periodic testing regime. Technical faults in these vehicles are more frequent and fatal than in heavy motorcycles. Therefore, in line with the Council's General Approach, the EEA EFTA States see minor safety benefits in mandatory PTIs for heavy motorcycles.

The EEA EFTA States support the use of new technology in roadside inspections, and note that their vehicle fleets already include a high proportion of zero-emission vehicles. However, increasing the frequency of emission testing by remote sensing could be costly. They are therefore pleased with the Council's position to make more frequent emission testing optional.

Overall, the EEA EFTA States underline the importance of taking administrative costs into consideration, particularly related to the introduction of mobile registration certificates and new inspection methods and equipment.

EEA EFTA Comments are one of the tools the EEA EFTA States use to participate in shaping EU policies, programmes and legislation.

Read the full EEA EFTA Comment here

All EEA EFTA Comments are available here

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