From today, European Union member states must be compliant with the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), requiring all new car radios to be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio.
Article 113, Annex XI in the EECC states that “Any car radio receiver integrated in a new vehicle of category M (at least four wheel passenger car), which is made available on the market for sale or rent in the Union from 21 December 2020 shall comprise a receiver capable of receiving and reproducing at least radio services provided via digital terrestrial radio broadcasting.”
The regulation applies to all EU member states, regardless of the status of DAB in each country.
Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Denmark have already introduced laws mandating digital terrestrial radio in cars and other countries are expected to follow shortly.
According to WorldDAB, in the first half of 2020, more than 50% of new cars sold in Europe included DAB+ as standard.
More information and regular updates on the EECC directive and its implementation across Europe is available on the WorldDAB EECC factsheet.
