Transport ministers from 18 European countries and EU Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas endorsed a declaration to harmonise rules for large‑scale, cross‑border autonomous‑vehicle trials. The move is intended to replace a patchwork of national rules with common approval principles and coordinated permitting, helping firms scale services across Europe. Major operators — including Uber, Wayve, Waymo and Apollo Go — are expanding trials in cities such as Zagreb, London, Madrid and Munich, and industry forecasts project up to three million robotaxis globally by 2035.
EU Ministers Push Cross‑Border Robotaxi Trials as Private Firms Ramp Up European Tests
Robotaxis are coming to Europe — and the EU wants to speed things up
Autonomous vehicle testing across Europe is finally moving from fragmented pilots to coordinated, large‑scale trials after years of delays. On Monday, transport ministers from 18 European countries — joined by EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas — signed a declaration to simplify and harmonise cross‑border testing of driverless vehicles.
The declaration aims to remove regulatory barriers that have made it difficult for operators to scale services across national borders. Participating states agreed to work on common approval principles, coordinated permitting procedures and shared technical requirements while carrying out large‑scale trials covering public transport, freight and logistics.
Why This Matters
Industry executives have long complained that Europe’s patchwork of national rules — from differing testing permits to inconsistent data and road requirements — has hampered the rollout of autonomous services. The new agreement is intended to create a clearer, more predictable framework so companies can test and deploy services across multiple EU markets.
Who Signed
The declaration was signed by France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.
Commercial Trials Accelerate
Private operators are already stepping up activity. Uber and UK startup Wayve opened a public waiting list for robotaxi rides in London this week; the service, which will include safety operators onboard, is expected to begin within months. Uber also reports that Zagreb is emerging as one of Europe’s first markets for a commercial robotaxi service, following an April trial in partnership with Pony.ai and local startup Verne.
London is preparing for trials from Waymo (Alphabet), Wayve (with Uber) and Apollo Go (Baidu). Other planned or announced trials include WeRide with Uber in Madrid, Momenta‑powered robotaxis in Munich, an Apollo Go pilot with Swiss Post, and a planned Stellantis and Pony.ai trial in Luxembourg.
Scale And Forecasts
Globally, fleets of driverless taxis have surged. Waymo reports roughly 3,000 driverless taxis across about a dozen US cities; Apollo Go operates a similar scale across China and Dubai. Pony.ai and WeRide run substantial fleets as well, and industry reporting shows fleets in China and the US more than doubled in 2025 to around 8,000 vehicles operating across more than two dozen cities.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts between 700,000 and 3 million robotaxis worldwide by 2035. Consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG) likewise expects roughly three million robotaxis globally by 2035, including approximately 850,000 in China, 350,000 in the United States and 120,000 in Europe.
Pierfrancesco Maran (Socialists and Democrats), who is working on the Automotive Omnibus legislation, called the declaration “an important step forward” and warned that Europe must both develop technologies and create testing conditions or risk losing industrial ecosystems and jobs.
Experts point to stricter safety rules and a stronger public‑transport culture as reasons Europe has lagged behind China and the US. Nevertheless, momentum is building: autonomous mobility specialist Hervé de Tréglodé suggested that commercial services could appear in major European cities as early as 2027.
What Comes Next
Participating countries will now work on aligning approval principles and permitting processes while rolling out coordinated, large‑scale trials. If implemented effectively, the framework could speed up cross‑border deployments and help Europe retain and grow a competitive autonomous‑vehicle industry.
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