XX June 2026

Joint Letter from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia

From Pilots to Real Life

Dear Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné,

Dear Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas,

The Automotive Industrial Action Plan rightly states that Europe must regain leadership in “AI-

powered, connected and autonomous vehicles”, recognizing autonomous driving as one of the

key technologies determining the future competitiveness of the European automotive industry.

The Action Plan correctly identifies that global competition in the automotive sector is shifting

rapidly towards software-defined vehicles, artificial intelligence, data-driven services, and

autonomous mobility systems. This strategic diagnosis is sound. However, Europe’s main

challenge today is no longer technological ambition, but achieving real-world deployment at

scale.

The Action Plan puts forward important building blocks, including the strategic prioritisation

of autonomous vehicles, the creation of a European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle

Alliance, progress towards harmonised rules for autonomous driving systems and testing, and

the use of cross-border testbeds and regulatory sandboxes. These initiatives demonstrate clear

intent yet remain largely focused on coordination and pilots.

In other major markets, autonomous robotaxi services already operate at scale, generating

operational data, investment confidence and rapid learning. These services already provide

more than 450,000 rides per week in the United States and over 250,000 in China. In contrast,

Europe remains largely confined to around 35 pilot projects, with limited commercial

deployment.

This gap is not caused by a lack of expertise or industrial capacity. European companies and

suppliers are globally competitive. The first obstacle is structural: fragmented national rules

governing ride-hailing and on-demand passenger services prevent autonomous mobility from

scaling across the Single Market.

As also reflected in the Single Market Strategy of May 2025, the Commission has recognized

the need to ensure the effective application of Single Market principles in the taxi and private

hired vehicle sector. Feedback from market participants indicates that the Single Market in this

sector remains constrained by outdated and disproportionate local rules. These include, inter

alia, restrictive pricing regimes, license caps, minimum ride requirements, and operational

obligations that limit efficiency and flexibility.

Such fragmentation not only reduces consumer choice and increases costs, but also directly

constrains innovation — especially in autonomous mobility, where scalable ride‑hailing

services are a key deployment channel. Major global players such as Uber, Lyft, and Didi have

already made substantial investments in this transition, with the aim of significantly reducing

service costs.

Without a more coherent EU‑level framework, global competitors with the financial capacity

to overcome regulatory constraints will dominate the AV deployment race, while smaller

European startups and scale-ups are pushed out of the market.

To move from pilots to real life, autonomous mobility must be treated not only as a vehicle

technology, but as a Single Market services issue. Ride-hailing and autonomous passenger

services should be prioritized for harmonisation, enabling proportionate market access,

predictable scaling conditions and investment certainty, without compromising safety or public

policy objectives.

The Automotive Industrial Action Plan sets the right ambition. To deliver that ambition, it must

now be complemented by a services-driven Single Market approach that translates Europe’s

technological strengths into real-world deployment and global competitiveness.

Yours sincerely,

Erkki Keldo

Minister of Economy and Industry of the Republic of Estonia

Rihards Kozlovskis

Minister of Transport of the Republic of Latvia

Juras Taminskas

Minister for Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania

Jozef Ráž

Minister of Transport of the Slovak Republic

Suur-Ameerika 1 / 10122 Tallinn / ESTONIA

Phone: +372 625 6342 / Fax: +372 631 3660 / E-mail: [email protected] / http://www.mkm.ee

Executive Vice-President Stéphane

Séjourné

European Commission

Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200

B-1049, Brussels

BELGIUM

Apostolos Tzitzikostas

Commissioner for Sustainable

Transport and Tourism

European Commission

Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200

B-1049, Brussels

BELGIUM

Our Ref: 29.06.2026 No 6-1/2282-1

Dear Executive Vice-President, dear Commissioner,

The Automotive Industrial Action Plan recognizes autonomous driving as one of the key

technologies determining the future competitiveness of the European automotive industry. In this

regard, Europe’s main challenge today is not lack of expertise or industrial capacity, but achieving

real-world deployment at scale. In other major markets, autonomous vehicles are operated at scale

through robotaxi services. However, in the EU, fragmented national rules governing ride-hailing

and on-demand passenger services prevent autonomous mobility from scaling across the Single

Market.

Together with Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia, we are submitting a joint letter highlighting the need

to complement existing technological initiatives with a services‑driven Single Market approach.

Fragmented national rules for ride‑hailing and on‑demand passenger services continue to hinder

deployment at scale and investment certainty. In this context, please find attached a draft letter

with the following key messages:

1. To move from pilots to real life, autonomous mobility must be treated not only as a vehicle

technology, but as a Single Market services issue;

2 (2)

2. Automotive Industrial Action Plan must now be complemented by a Single Market approach

prioritizing ride-hailing and autonomous passenger services for harmonisation.

We look forward to continued dialogue on advancing autonomous mobility through a

well‑functioning Single Market. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you might

have.

Yours sincerely,

Erkki Keldo

Minister of Economy and Industry

Peeter Kadarik

+372 5886 2963 [email protected]