Tesla FSD approved in Lithuania

Tesla said on May 20 that Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was rolling out in Lithuania, making it the second European country after the Netherlands to allow the driver-assistance system on public roads. Lithuania’s Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Lithuanian Road Traffic Authority recognized a provisional EU type approval previously issued by the Dutch vehicle authority RDW, according to local reporting and Reuters. The move extends Tesla’s Europe rollout one month after Dutch regulators cleared the system in the Netherlands on April 10. Tesla and regulators have stressed that the software is not autonomous driving and that the driver remains responsible at all times. ### How did Lithuania approve it without running its own full review? Lithuania’s transport ministry and road safety authority used an EU mutual-recognition route to accept the Dutch approval rather than repeat the underlying assessment, according to electrive. The legal basis cited was Regulation (EU) 2018/858, which allows member states to recognize provisional type approvals for new transport technologies issued elsewhere in the bloc. (money.usnews.com) RDW said on April 10 that it had issued type approval for Tesla’s FSD Supervised after more than one and a half years of testing on a track and on public roads. The Dutch regulator said the system is a “driver controlled assistance system” and that “a vehicle with FSD Supervised is not self-driving.” (electrive.com) ### What exactly did Lithuania approve? Tesla’s software in Europe is being approved as an SAE Level 2 driver-assistance system, not as a fully autonomous vehicle function, according to Lithuanian and Dutch officials cited by electrive and RDW. That means the car can handle multiple driving tasks, but the driver must continuously monitor traffic and be ready to take over immediately. (rdw.nl) Lithuanian Transport Minister Juras Taminskas said the technology could contribute to “safer and more comfortable driving,” particularly on long trips or in monotonous traffic, according to electrive’s account of the ministry’s announcement. RDW said its own review concluded that correct use of the system can make “a positive contribution to road safety.” (electrive.com) ### Why was the Netherlands the key first step? The Netherlands became the first European country to authorize Tesla’s system on April 10, and RDW’s approval created a certification other EU states could choose to recognize. Reuters reported that Dutch approval last month was the basis Lithuania accepted before Tesla announced the rollout there on May 20. (electrive.com) TechCrunch reported that Tesla had initially sought broader European clearance rather than a country-by-country rollout. But Reuters and The Next Web said the company is now advancing market by market as some governments move faster than others. ### Which countries look next? Greece and Belgium are the two countries most often named in current reporting as the next likely steps. (money.usnews.com) Reuters reported that Greece’s transport ministry said on May 20 that an upcoming bill would grant the same kind of approval as the Dutch. Belgium is further along in testing. (techcrunch.com) Reuters reported on May 13 that Tesla had been authorized to test its supervised self-driving software on one car in Flanders as part of the broader authorization process. Reporting cited by TechCrunch and The Next Web said Belgium was expected to be among the next approvals in Tesla’s European rollout. (money.usnews.com) ### Is this now approved across the European Union? No EU-wide approval has been announced. Reuters reported that other member states can recognize the Dutch approval individually, while electrive said Tesla had also sought support through the European Commission’s Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles, where some countries, particularly in Scandinavia, have raised reservations. (msn.com) The next concrete steps are already on the calendar. Greece’s transport ministry has pointed to an upcoming bill, and Belgium’s Flanders region is already running a one-car public-road test as regulators weigh broader authorization. (money.usnews.com)