18 Member States signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on large-scale cross-border testbeds for autonomous vehicles
On 8 June 2026, as part of the Transport Council in Luxembourg, transport ministers from 18 EU Member States signed a Joint Declaration of Intent for the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles across Europe.
Signed together with Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the DoI represents a significant step within the European Automotive Action Plan. It reflects a common commitment to ensuring a coordinated, safe, and competitive introduction of automated driving technologies across Europe.
The programme focuses on creating large-scale cross-border testing environments for autonomous vehicles. These testbeds will support applications in public transport, freight transport and logistics, while encouraging greater cooperation between countries on technical interoperability, regulatory frameworks and operational deployment.
Participating Member States will work together to establish shared principles for vehicle approval processes and permitting procedures. In parallel, they will coordinate practical deployment projects to facilitate real-world testing and prepare for future commercial operations across national borders.
The initiative aims to provide greater clarity and predictability for industry stakeholders and investors, helping to strengthen Europe's position in the rapidly evolving autonomous mobility sector.
Next steps
The next phase consists of two parallel workstreams:
- One will focus on harmonising regulatory and approval procedures.
- The other will support practical deployment activities and cooperation among authorities, transport operators and industry partners.
The signatory countries also aim to strengthen links between national industrial and technological ecosystems and regional actors. This includes regions, municipalities and public transport authorities. By recognising the strategic role of local and regional authorities in identifying mobility needs, the initiative encourages the development of use cases for automated road transport services in passenger transport, freight and logistics applications.
Participating regions and local authorities will be encouraged to contribute to the development of replicable and transferable mobility solutions involving automated vehicles, helping to accelerate innovation and support future deployment across Europe.
To support these efforts, the 2026 Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme will allocate €20 million for digital infrastructure related to autonomous driving technologies. The funding call is expected to be launched later this month.
Learn more on the EC website.
Read the full text of the Declaration onf Intent here.
