Testing of an autonomous truck (symbolic image)Image: MANA new autonomous driving initiative is emerging at the EU level. Based on a draft by Germany, France, and Luxembourg, 17 EU member states have signed a non-binding declaration of intent on autonomous driving. The goal of this document, also known as the ‘Joint Declaration of Intent’, is to better coordinate the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles in regular traffic across Europe.The initiative forms part of the Action Plan for the Automotive Industry (‘Industrial Action Plan for the European Automotive Sector’), which the European Commission has been using since March 2025 to strengthen the competitiveness and innovative capacity of Europe’s automotive sector.As part of the initiative, uniform European standards for technology, safety, and infrastructure will be developed to enable the cross-border operation of autonomous vehicles. This includes harmonising relevant national and European regulations to accelerate the technology’s path to market maturity and strengthen the EU’s competitiveness. Potential applications include public transport, such as robotaxis, and freight transport.According to the Deutsche Verkehrs-Zeitung, EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas announced that €20 million from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) would be allocated to develop the digital infrastructure required for autonomous driving. A tender is expected to begin later this month.Germany likes to position itself as a pioneer in autonomous driving. In 2021, it became one of the first countries to pass a law enabling autonomous driving on clearly defined routes under technical supervision. In 2025, this was followed by the Road Traffic Remote Control Ordinance (StVFernLV), which established a legal framework for operating remotely controlled motor vehicles on public roads. This allowed autonomous vehicles to hand over control to a person in a control centre during complex situations.Commenting on the agreement, Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder (CDU) said: “Autonomous driving is not just a technical innovation but a key future technology for our mobility. Particularly in public transport and freight transport, it offers new opportunities for greater efficiency, safety, sustainability, and inclusion.”The focus is primarily on cross-border projects, with Schneider describing this as a means of enabling ‘autonomous mobility across EU borders’ and developing ‘harmonised European standards for technology, safety, and infrastructure’: “With this forward-looking initiative, we can build on our existing trilateral test field activities with our neighbours France and Luxembourg and take them to the next level. Together with all other signatory member states, we can facilitate the large-scale deployment of automated vehicles in regular traffic and across national borders.”The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) similarly views the declaration of intent as “a positive sign: a strong signal for the ramp-up of autonomous driving in Europe.” VDA Managing Director Dr. Marcus Bollig emphasised: “For the successful scaling of Level 4 applications, we need rules that can be used across borders, harmonised procedures, and stronger mutual recognition of approvals. Europe cannot afford regulatory island solutions in autonomous driving.”bmv.de, dvz.de, vda.de (sources in German)
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