HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

UK Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, has given an update on the current status of the UK driving licence negotiations.

After two weeks of silence on the issue, the Ambassador has posted a video on the Brits in Spain Facebook page, however, the update gives very little hope to the thousands still unable to get behind the wheel of their cars.

Almost five months have passed since Brits who have lived in Spain for more than six months, and who use their British driving licence, were told they could no longer legally drive on Spanish roads.

May 1, was a dark day for many, not just British expats. Hundreds, if not thousands of Spaniards and foreign nationals who passed their driving test in the UK, also found themselves unable to use their vehicles, or even rent one in Spain.

The British Embassy in Madrid did announce that they had hopes that they would “have concluded negotiations by the summer,” but the lengthy talks are still ongoing with little sign of a date for when UK licence holders can once again take to the Spanish roads.

It is easy to say that the latest update given by Mr Elliott on September 27, has done very little to quash the anger that is being felt by those who are caught up in this bureaucratic mess.

Elliott began by saying “I wanted to talk to you personally about the driving licences negotiations, which I know are continuing to have a serious impact on many of you.

“As the government’s representative in Spain, I hear and understand your frustrations. I too am frustrated by the pace” he continued.

“We previously thought, we genuinely thought, that we’d have concluded negotiations by the summer.

“Many of you have quite rightly mentioned that I expressed the hope to you that we’d have you back on the road by the end of July.

“Now the truth is it has taken much longer, as there have been unforeseen issues that we have been working very hard to resolve.

“And I’m as disappointed as you are by the length of time that this is actually taking.

“But, please, be assured that we are resolving those issues, one by one. There are only a couple of issues left, but they are complex.”

The UK Embassy had previously suggested that Spain had asked for data provision to form part of the exchange agreement, something the British authorities were reluctant to do.

It is unknown if this is still one of the reasons for the hold-up.

“We’re working on this every day, it remains a priority,” Mr Elliott continued.

“There is a lot going on behind the scenes, even if it doesn’t feel like it to you.

“I know too that you want a timescale and you want an update after every meeting.

“But I’m afraid I just can’t give you those things in this negotiation.

“Many of you also continue to ask why you can’t drive while the talks are continuing,” Elliott remarked.

“It is not in the gift of the UK government to reinstate the measures which previously allowed you to continue to drive whilst the negotiations were ongoing earlier in the year.

“As we said previously, we did request the reinstatement of those measures several times, but this wasn’t granted.”

The lack of movement and the words spoken by Mr Elliott are unlikely to pacify those who are still unable to drive. In fact, just a few weeks ago a Facebook group was set up called ‘Invasion of the British Embassy in Madrid for the DL exchange issue’ and it now has over 400 members.

Pascal Siegmund, who is the group's administrator, is hoping to meet with both the British Embassy and the Spanish authorities. He wants to explain the impact that not being allowed to drive is having on thousands of UK licence holders, living in Spain.

Many of those affected have been sharing their stories on social media, detailing how they were unable to process their licence exchange before the deadline due to administrative errors, on the part of Spain’s DGT traffic authority.

Continuing with his update, Mr Elliott tried to reassure people “I’d say we’re genuinely still making progress.

“I get how frustrating it is to hear that, but we are making progress. We’re in discussions almost daily about outstanding issues.

"And I remain very optimistic that we will reach an agreement and hope it will be soon.
But as I say, I can’t give you a definitive timetable.

“And so, the advice that we have been giving all along, which is that you should consider taking the Spanish test if you do need to drive urgently, remains valid. Though we appreciate that’s hard."

In the meantime, British tourists visiting Spain can still hire a car without any issue, something that doesn’t sit well with those Brits living and working in Spain, who are still unable to drive.

Another hard pill to swallow, is the knowledge that Spanish licence holders who are currently living in the UK, can also continue to exchange their permits in the UK some 21 months after Brexit came into force.

Sources

https://www.facebook.com/BritsInSpain
https://www.thelocal.es/20220928/uk-driving-licences-in-spain-when-no-news-is-bad-news/

Image Credit: Brits In Spain