After 16 European countries, including Belgium and the Netherlands, called for uniform European legislation on e-scooters late last year, the Benelux countries are now also urging the European Commission to work toward a harmonized European framework for e-scooters and other light electric vehicles.
The three countries point to increasing fragmentation in national regulations, “which leads to safety risks, legal uncertainty for market players, and barriers to innovation.”
Patchwork of rules
There is currently no EU legislation governing e-scooters, which means countries are free to set their own rules. As a result, the legal status and conditions of use vary widely from one EU country to another.
For example, the Brussels government decided last week to ban shared e-scooters starting in 2027 (though private use will remain permitted), while they will remain available in Antwerp.
At the same time, the use of e-scooters and other light e-vehicles continues to grow in European cities. The Benelux countries also view light e-vehicles as “an accessible and sustainable addition to existing transportation systems, particularly for the first and last miles of trips.”
Market surveillance
However, they believe that the lack of harmonized technical requirements means that not all vehicles entering the market offer sufficient safety guarantees for use on public roads.
The absence of uniform European product standards also makes it difficult to keep unsafe or non-compliant vehicles off the market effectively, and this does not make things easy for users or manufacturers, who often face unfounded objections precisely because of the lack of proper harmonized European legislation.
The Benelux countries are therefore calling on the European Commission to establish harmonized technical requirements. In addition, a system of type approval or conformity assessment must be established.
Furthermore, there is a call for clear procedures for market surveillance and enforcement, as well as for consistency with existing EU regulations on vehicle safety and market surveillance.
E-scooters for personal use – especially the cheaper models – are often less safe than the heavier rental e-scooters: shared models typically have larger wheels and speed limiters.
