Paris, Oct. 31, (dpa/GNA) - In future, motorbikes in France will have to undergo regular general inspections as prescribed by the European Union.
Although motorbike associations successfully campaigned against the measure, the Council of State in Paris on Monday ordered the government to implement the inspection requirement.
The government adopted inspection rules in 2021, but abolished them this summer before they came into force. According to an EU directive, the requirement for checks should have taken effect at the beginning of 2021 at the latest.
The Council of State, as the highest administrative court, judged the government’s action to be unlawful.
Measures mentioned by France as alternatives to the requirement were inefficient or had been at the stage of mere considerations, the Council of State ruled.
In terms of content, it referred to urgently needed steps for more road safety in France.
The aim of the EU directive was to reduce the number of fatal accidents with motorized two-wheeled vehicles. Statistics show that the number of fatalities among motorcyclists and scooter riders in France is particularly high, both in absolute numbers and in comparison to other European countries.
GNA