Musk’s trademark driver assistance system (FSD) has been approved in the Netherlands. The company is now trying to extend its consensus, but several EU countries are showing skepticism
On 10 April 2026 the Rdw (Dutch body that deals with issues relating to traffic and road vehicles in general) approved theuse of the “Supervised” FSD system (Full Driving System) of Tesla on the roads and highways of the Netherlands. An important step for Musk’s company, whose declared objective is to obtain approval in the entire European Union. The RDW itself will propose the extension of the use of the American brand’s driving assistance system throughout the EU, having granted the authorization after eighteen months of tests on the track and on public roads. Tesla’s objective is to exploit Article 39 (which allows a single State to issue a provisional approval valid on its territory, while requiring the approval of the Commission and other authorities to expand the measure at European level) of the European legislation on the approval of motor vehicles to have the FSD approved as a new technology that the current standards do not cover correctly, thus avoiding the usual approval process. It should be underlined, in any case, that Musk’s house is a driving assistance system thanks to which vehicles can steer, turn and accelerate autonomously, but only under the supervision of a human driver with his eyes on the road and his hands ready to intervene. The EU Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (chaired by the European Commission and composed of representatives of EU member states) will discuss the Dutch approval of the system and hear a presentation from RWD. Here are the possible steps and the skepticisms that have already emerged from some EU countries.
the process
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At the meeting, which could take place on Tuesday 12th, no vote will be held on the approval of the “Supervised” FSD system throughout the EU. This could be held in July or more realistically after the summer. For the approval to be valid, a qualified majoritytherefore the vote in favor of 15 countries out of 27. Even in this case, however, those against could initiate legal action. If the proposal were instead rejected, the FSD could still be used on a provisional basis by individual member states, which would however complicate the application of some rules of the European single market. Until the moment of a possible vote, each country will be able to provisionally test the “Supervised” FSD or even approve it on a national basis, exactly as done by the Netherlands.
skepticism
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Despite the optimism of Elon Musk, who in a conference with analysts on 22 April announced that he expected approval from many EU countries soon, there are many member states of the Union itself that would reserve several doubts about the FSD. Among these, as reported Reutersthere would be Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway, concerned about the system’s tendency to exceed speed limits, safety on icy roads and the ability for drivers to bypass systems designed to prevent cell phone use while driving. After the Dutch approval, the American company would have put pressure on the Swedish, Estonian and Finnish authorities to sign the approval. A move that underlines how much Tesla is aiming for the approval of its driving assistance system also to relaunch its sales in Europe, which are in sharp decline in 2025 also due to some political positions of CEO Elon Musk.
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