European Union member states have just three months to comply with the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC). By December these nations must incorporate the directive into their national legislation.
The code came into force in December 2018. It requires all new car radios sold in the EU to be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio, in addition to any FM or AM functionality manufacturers would like to include.
Getting Ready
Article 113, Annex XI of the EECC states: “Any car radio receiver integrated in a new vehicle of category M1, which is made available on the market for sale or rent in the Union from Dec. 21, shall comprise a receiver capable of receiving and reproducing at least radio services provided via digital terrestrial radio broadcasting.”
WorldDAB explains the regulation applies to all EU member states, regardless of the status of DAB in each country. “It also gives countries the opportunity to introduce new legislation regarding consumer receivers,” the organizations adds.
Many nations have already made headway in conforming to the directive. The United Kingdom, for example, obligates all radios fitted in new passenger cars to come with digital radio as standard from 2021. Germany will require all radio receivers in new cars to include digital radio capabilities by that date. Ahead of the pack, Italy has required all new (consumer and automotive) radio receivers sold since January 2020 to include DAB+.
Country by Country
In France, parliament is reviewing a proposal that requires all new car radios to include digital radio capabilities. And in early September, Spain published a draft of its Telecoms Regulation, which also complies with the EECC.
In addition, says WorldDAB, other countries, including Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Greece, Czech Republic, Poland and Malta have initiated procedures to implement the code into national legislation.
“The EU decision to mandate that all new car radios should be able to receive digital terrestrial broadcasts has transformed the prospects for DAB+ radio in Europe,” said Patrick Hannon, president of WorldDAB.
“A growing number of countries are transposing the directive into national law. We urge countries that have yet to implement the EECC to act imminently and help ensure that motorists in all EU Member States benefit from the advantages of digital radio.”
More information and regular updates on the EECC directive and its implementation across Europe is available on the WorldDAB EECC factsheet.