German Federal Minister of Transport Steffen Bilger publicly states he will promote Tesla FSD's prompt approval in the EU
German Federal Minister of Transport Steffen Bilger publicly stated that he will promote the prompt approval of Tesla's FSD in the EU. At a conference in Berlin, he said it is reasonable to reach a consensus at the European level. If the EU cannot reach an agreement, discussions will focus on what Germany can do independently. Elon Musk responded in German with thanks.
The German Ministry of Transport stated that three arrangements were reached with Tesla in September. The system can exceed the legal speed limit by up to 10% under specific conditions, justified by smoother traffic flow. Driving responsibility remains 100% with the driver, and fines are also borne by the driver. Tesla proposed renaming FSD to Tesla Assisted Driving in Europe. The Ministry believes the current name may lead people to think the system takes over all driving; this new name has already been used in the Chinese market since May.
The EU Technical Committee TCMV discussed the system on October 6, but no vote was taken. The earliest recognition across the EU is expected by December. Approval requires a qualified majority, with at least 15 out of 27 countries and representing 65% of the EU population. Germany, with a population of about 83.4 million, accounts for 18.6% of the EU and is a key weight in this vote.
Currently, only 8 countries are available, covering about 12.6% of the EU population. The Netherlands' vehicle management authority RDW granted a temporary type approval on April 10 under EU Regulation 2018/858 Article 39(4). The German Federal Motor Transport Authority is still reviewing the Dutch documentation and needs to conduct its own tests, with no deadline set. If the EU path fails, the domestic backup provision is Article 39(5).
The Ministry's written statement commits to constructively cooperating with European procedures and does not state that domestic approval has been decided. Bilger's original statement stopped at "discussing what Germany can do." KBA has not yet issued German approval.
The buyers are Tesla owners and subscribers waiting for European city road assistance, while the sellers are member state regulators who still view speed limits and naming as veto items. The event has shifted Germany to support the drive, with funding moving from a restricted subscription market to a potential type approval covering all 27 countries. Benefiting are Tesla's European software revenues, while pressured are other member states insisting on zero speeding and zero independent national paths.
Source: Public information
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Tesla's entry into Europe is stalled in the Netherlands. RDW granted temporary type approval on April 10, and after KBA received the documentation, speeding became the main objection, as regulators were initially concerned that the system could exceed speed limits by up to 50% under certain conditions. Bilger took over as Minister of Transport in July, negotiated the upper limit to 10% in September, and publicly sided with the EU for prompt approval on October 6.
The capital path is in subscriptions, not in selling cars. FSD is renamed Tesla Assisted Driving in Europe, changing consumer expectations, not sensors. This name has already been used in China since May. Germany's vote accounts for 18.6% of the EU population, and a qualified majority requires 65% of the population and 15 countries. The 8 countries currently open only cover about 12.6% of the population, and a shift by Germany alone would change the arithmetic for December's TCMV.
A comparison can be made with Mercedes' Drive Pilot, which first obtained domestic approval in Germany before waiting for UN regulations, and Mobileye keeping responsibility with the driver to gain access to city roads. The difference is that Tesla seeks recognition that covers all 27 countries at once, with the backup being Germany's single-country path under Article 39(5). The position is in a vote-changing phase before the vote, not already approved.
This represents a regulatory change. The renaming, 10% speeding, and 100% driver responsibility rewrite the product from "fully autonomous driving" to an assistance system, thus reducing the EU's veto reasons by three items. The approval authority still lies with TCMV, and Germany's push for domestic approval remains a delaying tactic for export.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
Renaming changes regulatory classification, not functionality.
18.6% of the population can change a qualified majority vote.
When the EU delays, a major country's backup clause serves as leverage.