The grace period for German traffic offenders on holiday in Italy is over: After months of disagreement between the two countries, German drivers can now expect traffic fines from Italy again, the German news agency dpa reported on Tuesday. In Rome, however, there are complaints in the same breath about the difficult cooperation with Vienna.
As the Italian Ministry of Transport confirmed on Tuesday, both parties have agreed on the further exchange of owner and vehicle data. No penalties have yet been handed out to Austrian drivers.
According to the Ministry of Transport and Public Works in Rome, Italy is now fully involved again in a system that regulates the exchange of vehicle and owner data within the EU.
Problem with Austria not yet resolved
After Italy repeatedly requested data for other violations, Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority stopped sharing information for more than a year. The issue with Austria has not been resolved, according to Italy’s transport ministry, which complained of “problems in cooperation” with Vienna.
The EUCARIS system (European Car and Driving License Information System) gives authorities direct access to the relevant registers of other EU countries. The exchange of data is based on reciprocity: data is only exchanged with the countries that have implemented the directive.
It’s a lot of money
In Merano, South Tyrol alone, more than 4,000 traffic fines worth 230,000 euros could not be sent to German, Austrian and, most recently, Dutch drivers because these three EU countries blocked access to the data. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini dealt with the case. He stressed that the problems with the Netherlands must be resolved quickly.
Source: Krone
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