Monthly Archives: February 2026

In mid-February 2026, China's automotive market regulator – the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) – announced the introduction of a package of new technical standards redefining the approach to safety in Intelligent Connected Vehicles (ICV). These documents, officially published on February 15, 2026, on the government portal miit.gov.cn, constitute a direct response by the state administration to a series of incidents that revealed loopholes in existing homologation procedures. An analysis of the content of the new guidelines, conducted based on reports from the Xinhua agency and industry portals Automotive News China and CnEVPost, indicates a departure from the uncritical digitalization of cockpits in favor of hybrid solutions that guarantee physical safety.

In mid-February 2026, the Chinese judiciary made one of the most significant decisions in the history of legislation concerning autonomous and automated vehicles. The Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China published a ruling establishing a binding legal interpretation for cases involving road accidents and incidents involving vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

The European transport system is entering a phase of profound transformation, underpinned by the published Directive (EU) 2025/2205 of the European Parliament and of the Council on driving licenses. This landmark legislation serves as a critical tool for the implementation of the EU’s "Vision Zero" strategy, aiming to eliminate road fatalities entirely by 2050. Member States are required to transpose these regulations by November 2028, with full application commencing on November 26, 2029.