PLANS to create EU-wide driving licences have received a setback, with the EU Council of Ministers failing to approve the directive that would bring them into being.

The German government, supported by France, Austria, Poland and Denmark successfully blocked agreement of the proposal, which will now be pushed by the UK Government, which took over the EU presidency on July 1.

The proposals would replace and harmonise the 110 types of existing driving licence in the EU’s 25 member states.