31. 12. 80 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 375/1 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL FIRST COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 4 December 1980 on the introduction of a Community driving licence (80/1263/EEC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro- pean Economic Community, and in particular Article 75 (1) (c) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commis- sion, ’ Having regard to the opinion of the European Par- liament (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (?), Whereas, for the purposes of the common transport ~ policy, as a contribution to improving road traffic safety, and to assist the movement of persons set- tling in a Member State other than that in which they have passed a driving test, or moving within the Community, it is desirable that a Community driv- ing licence be introduced; Whereas the introduction of a Community driving licence presupposes the harmonization of existing national driving test arrangements, which can only be achieved gradually; whereas the first stage of this (') OJ No C 238, 11. 10. 1976, p. 43. (?) OJ No C 197, 23.8.1976, p. 32. | harmonization could culminate in the establishment of a Community model national licence and the mutual recognition by Member States of national driving licences and the exchange of licences by holders transferring their place of residence or place of employment from one Member State to another; Whereas the Community model national licence should be based on that defined by the Final Act of the Convention on Road Traffic drawn up in Vienna in November 1968 by the United Nations Road Traffic Conference; Whereas the mutual recognition of driving licences issued by the different Member States and the exchange of a licence by a holder moving from one Community country to reside or work in another will only be possible further to an initial harmoniza- tion of the regulations governing the issue and validity of licences; Whereas, without prejudice to the final provisions to be adopted by the Council on vehicle categories, it is necessary to establish common standards in re- spect of the validity of the licence for driving the dif- ferent categories of vehicles, so that the Community model licence can be issued throughout the Com- munity under comparable conditions; Whereas, however, at this initial harmonization stage and pending the introduction of the final sys- tem, Member States should be allowed to lay down the conditions with regard to age and the period of validity of licences and also, under certain specific conditions, to derogate from the categories, speeds and conditions of validity laid down by this Direc-