Elon Musk met personally with French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot on September 2 to advance approval of Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) in France — the latest signal that Tesla is pushing hard to crack open one of Europe’s largest car markets. France has been one of the more cautious holdouts in the EU, but the meeting marks a concrete step forward in what has been months of behind-the-scenes technical work.
Source: @SawyerMerritt — September 2, 2026
1. Musk Got Personally Involved
This wasn’t a routine regulatory exchange between Tesla’s legal team and a government agency. Elon Musk himself sat down with Minister Tabarot — a level of executive engagement that signals Tesla views France as a priority market, not just a checkbox on the European rollout map. The meeting was described as “constructive” by French officials, which in diplomatic language means both sides left with something to work with.
2. France Has Had Specific, Technical Objections
France didn’t simply say no to FSD — it said no to FSD as it currently exists. According to background research, Minister Tabarot stated in July 2026 that “the safety trade-offs are not yet sufficient.” Two concrete issues were flagged: the system has been found to allow speeds exceeding posted limits by up to 50% when matching surrounding traffic flow, and French authorities concluded it doesn’t guarantee adequate driver attention in urban environments, particularly at intersections and roundabouts. These are addressable engineering problems, not philosophical objections — which is why the technical adaptation work is ongoing.
3. French Authorities Have Been Working Closely with Tesla for Months
The Musk-Tabarot meeting didn’t come out of nowhere. According to reporting from Sawyer Merritt, French authorities have been engaged in technical discussions with Tesla for several months, working through the adaptations needed for FSD to meet French requirements. A French ministry representative even traveled to the Netherlands in July 2026 to review data firsthand — the kind of due diligence that suggests France is building toward a yes, not stalling indefinitely.
Source: @TeslaNewswire — September 2, 2026
4. Five EU Countries Have Already Approved FSD — France Is Watching Them
France isn’t starting from scratch. The Netherlands became the first EU country to approve FSD (Supervised) on April 10, 2026, under UN Regulation 171. Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, and Belgium followed through mutual recognition by June 2026. The European build — version 14.2.2.5, restricted to Hardware 4 (AI4) vehicles — is already live in those markets. Cross-border operation between approved countries became possible with version 14.2.2.6. France has been watching this rollout closely; the ministry’s July trip to the Netherlands was explicitly to review real-world data from that deployment.
5. The EU-Wide Decision Is the Bigger Prize — and It’s Coming
France has consistently preferred a harmonized EU-wide approval over acting unilaterally. The EU Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV) held discussion-only sessions on FSD as recently as June 30, 2026, with the next opportunity for a formal decision expected in October 2026. A bloc-wide vote could extend into 2027. If that process produces a positive outcome, France — which has been building its technical case in parallel — would be well-positioned to move quickly. The Musk meeting this week looks less like a last-minute push and more like preparation for that window.
Source: @wholemars — September 2, 2026
France approving FSD would be symbolically significant beyond its own borders — it’s the EU’s second-largest economy and one of the most scrutinized regulatory environments on the continent. If Tesla can satisfy France’s specific technical demands, the path to a full EU approval becomes considerably cleaner. The October TCMV meeting is the next hard date to watch. For owners in France with Hardware 4 vehicles, the wait continues — but the direction of travel has shifted.
Sources & reporting notes
The links below identify the material source records used for this report.
@TeslaNewswire on X (2026-09-02T19:41:37.000Z) — Direct source
@wholemars on X (2026-09-02T19:43:16.000Z) — Direct source
@SawyerMerritt on X (2026-09-02T19:49:46.000Z) — Direct source
Source links are preserved as published or accessed. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.
BASENOR Newsroom
The BASENOR Editorial Desk covers Tesla, SpaceX, and related technology, curating reporting from primary sources — official accounts, regulatory filings, and software release data. Every article passes source-record and fact-checking review before publication. About the newsroom.
This report was curated by the BASENOR Editorial Desk from the sources listed above. Read our editorial standards or email editorial@basenor.com to report an error.