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A European vehicle registration plate is a vehicle registration plate, a metal or plastic plate or plates attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing authority's database. In Europe most countries have adopted a common format for number plates, such as the common EU format issued in EU member states. This format satisfies the requirements in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which states that cross-border vehicles must display a distinguishing code for the country of registration on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may either be a an oval sticker placed separately from the registration plate or may be a blue stripe incorporated into the vehicle registration plate. When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle, and have the EU or national flag. ==Format== The common EU format of having a blue section on the extreme left with EU circle of stars and the country code was introduced by Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 of 3 November 1998〔(Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 of 3 November 1998 )〕 and entered into force on the 11 November 1998. It was based on a model registration plate which three member states had already introduced before: Ireland (1991),〔http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1990/en/si/0287.html〕 Portugal (1992) 〔http://www.worldlicenseplates.com/world/EU_PORT.html〕 and Germany (1994).〔http://www.worldlicenseplates.com/world/EU_D6XX.html〕 Luxembourg plates had displayed the European Flag on the left part since 1988. * The common design consists of a blue strip on the left side of the plate. This blue strip has the European flag symbol (twelve yellow stars), along with the country code of the member state in which the vehicle is registered. Danish plates have a small holographic strip to the right of the blue EU strip. * EU format plates are either white or yellow, on a plate wider than it is tall. Yellow registration plates are used both front and rear in Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, yellow plates are used at the rear and white at the front. The UK use flat plastic plates (embossed metal plates are an option in the UK), as opposed to metal plates in most other European countries. A mixture of plastic or metal plates is permitted in France and Ireland. Plastic plates have earlier also been used in Sweden and Norway *Denmark and Hungary use yellow plates for vehicles registered as commercial vehicles and in Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden yellow plates are used for taxi vehicles. Belgium uses red characters and is the only country not to use the standard black-on-white or black-on-yellow combination; with the introduction of European-style plates in November 2010, a slightly darker shade of red was chosen (RAL 3003) to improve legibility. In Norway, cars with front seats only (used for cargo) have green plates with black characters. *The EU format is optional in Denmark,〔http://www.skat.dk/SKAT.aspx?oId=1815328&vId=0 (danish)〕 Finland and the United Kingdom. This is because of the way in which the Council Regulation implementing the EU Symbol (Reg No. 2411/98) is drafted. It only requires states that have ratified the Vienna Convention of 1968 on road traffic to enforce the EU symbol. This can be seen in Article 3, which reads: ''"Member States requiring vehicles registered in another Member State to display a distinguishing registration sign when they are being driven on their territory shall recognise the distinguishing (Symbol ) sign"'' The 'requirement' talked about here - ''"to display a distinguishing registration sign"'' is derived directly from Article 37 of the 1968 Vienna Convention (this is actually stated in preamble (3) of Reg 2411/98). So in order for Reg 2411/98 to apply, the state must have ratified the 1968 Convention. Since Denmark, Finland and the UK have not ratified it, Reg 2411/98 technically does not apply and therefore the EU symbol is not a mandatory requirement in those states. *Vehicles with EU number plates do not need to display the white oval international vehicle registration code while within the European Economic Area. *Several non-EU European states have implemented similar formats, replacing the Circle of stars with own symbols. Norway is an example of such state, issuing europlates with the Norwegian flag replacing the Circle of stars. Iceland issues plates with the Icelandic flag above the country code on the left side. From those states that joined in the 2004 enlargement of the European Union Malta already used europlates, while Latvia, Poland and Lithuania had used EU number plates displaying the national flag before their accession, as did Bulgaria and Romania before their accession in 2007. Vehicles in cross-border traffic are obliged to display a distinguishing sign of the country of registration on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may either be placed separately from the registration plate or may be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate (such as the EU strip). When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle. The physical requirements for the separate sign are defined in Annex 3 of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vehicle registration plates of Europe」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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