Valainis meets Tesla representatives to discuss self-driving car regulations in Latvia

Latvian Economics Minister Viktors Valainis met with representatives of US technology company Tesla on July 1 to discuss the implementation of automated driving technology in Latvia. The meeting was attended by Sarunas Kondratas, Tesla EMEA Head of Vehicle Automation, Safety and Business Development; Sofia Bennerstola Anderson, Head of Public Policy for Northern Europe; and Ivan Komusanac, EU Policy and Business Development Lead.

The discussions focused on international practices in autonomous driving, the evolution of EU regulations, and the prerequisites for safely introducing self-driving vehicles. Valainis emphasized that modern legal frameworks are essential to foster innovation while ensuring high traffic safety standards. He noted that political discussions would soon be initiated in cooperation with relevant institutions.

Tesla representatives informed that the Netherlands has already received provisional EU type approval for a SAE Level 2 system, which can be recognized by other member states. Regarding Tesla's FSD (Supervised) system, EU-level discussions are ongoing, and no decision has been made yet. Some countries, such as Lithuania, Estonia, and Denmark, have already announced recognition of such approval, while Sweden has expressed concerns about the system's performance.

After the meeting, the minister had the opportunity to test a demonstration of Tesla's FSD system – a driver-supervised automated driving solution that uses cameras and software to follow a navigation route, maintain speed and distance, perform lane changes, and respond to traffic lights and road signs. Tesla has already tested this system in several European countries, including Latvia.