The United States government put extra taxes on European products like whisky and French cheese and it is now Europe’s turn to impose extra charges on American products. However, American motorcycle parts are taken off the list and will not be taxed. In April 2019 we wrote about the trade war
FEMA news
Give your opinion on the current European driving licence
Do you want to give your opinion on the current European driving licence? This is your chance! The European Commission started a public consultation to help evaluate the Third Driving License Directive. After the first Driving License Directive in 1980, the second in 1991 we saw the third Driving Licence Directive
More and more German car drivers switch to light motorcycles
Thanks to a change in German legislation, car drivers can now easily leave their car and start riding a 125 cc motorcycle. When FEMA published a poll, asking European motorcyclists if they thought car licence holders should be allowed to ride an A1 motorcycle, a large majority of motorcyclists said car
European success: you can now take the A2 test on a 250 cc bike
As we reported before, from 1 November 2020 European law makes it possible to do the A2-licence test with a 250 cc motorcycle instead of 400 cc. On 5 May 2020 the European Union published the Commission Directive (EU) 2020/612, amending Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
New helmet rules from the United Nations
The United Nations have approved changes to the regulation that describes how your motorcycle helmet has to be produced and tested. These are the first changes in almost twenty years. FEMA's Wim Taal explains the most notable changes. The UN regulation No. 22 applies to motorcycle helmets licensed to be sold
UN allows self-driving cars up to 60 km/h
The United Nations (UN) adopted a regulation that will allow automated vehicles to be in primary control from January 2021. FEMA first wants to see evidence that motorcycles are detected. The UN Regulation establishes requirements for Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) for passenger cars which, once activated, are in primary control
How motorcyclists spend the summer holiday in 2020
More than 90 percent of Europe's motorcyclists will take a motorcycle holiday this summer and they are willing to spend their money. Recent news about stricter sound checks in certain countries has not affected their holiday plans. FEMA conducted a quick on-line survey to find out how many motorcyclists will travel
Why banning ‘loud’ motorcycles will not work in Tyrol
FEMA's Dolf Willigers looks at motorcycle bans in Austria, and points out some flaws in the research that led to some drastic consequences for motorcyclists. From 10 June 2020 to 31 October 2020 some well-known roads in Austria will be closed to all motorcycles with a registered standing sound emission of
Is there finally a safer alternative to cable barriers?
Let’s not fool ourselves: no crash barrier is really safe for motorcyclists, but smart designers are able to think of barrier systems that could improve motorcyclists’ safety. FEMA talked to Roberto Impero, general manager at SMA Road Safety, the Italian company that developed and produces the Andromeda barrier, a so-called ‘smart
FEMA supports the motorcycle industry’s call for European help
The motorcycle industry wants to be able to sell Euro 4 bikes after 31 December 2020. ACEM, the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers, has asked the European Commission to extend the time to sell Euro 4-compliant motorcycles because of the COVID-19 situation. FEMA supports this request. On 1 January 2020, a