Overview
- The Council of EU transport ministers voted on Thursday in Brussels to oppose the Commission’s plan for yearly checks on vehicles aged ten years and older, maintaining the current biennial schedule.
- Germany’s transport minister Patrick Schnieder said Berlin helped block the move to one‑year intervals, calling for the existing regime to remain in place.
- The Council clarified that older cars will not fail inspection if their eCall no longer works due to mobile network shutdowns.
- Ministers signaled support for updating emissions testing methods shaped by Dieselgate lessons, as the ADAC welcomed the HU decision but criticized a planned separate NOx measurement as unnecessary and cost‑driving.
- In Germany, shifting older cars to annual inspections would have added roughly 10 million checks per year, according to 2024 HU figures.