Slovakia to approve Tesla's self-driving tech

Oct 8 (Reuters) - Slovakia expects to approve Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system within days, Transport Minister Jozef Raz said in a video posted on LinkedIn on Wednesday afternoon, a decision that would make it the ninth European Union country to authorise the driver-assistance technology.

• "Data shows that these cars reduce the accident rate and that’s exactly what we’re aiming for," he said.

• Raz said the ministry would send a recognition letter to the Netherlands, whose RDW regulator approved the system earlier this year and serves as Tesla's lead authority for the approval process in Europe.

• "Once this letter is delivered, the FSD system will be available for use here as well. But remember: you’re still the driver, and you’re responsible for the car. We’re doing this for you," Raz said in the video.

• The comments from the minister come shortly after a Reuters report ​detailed how Tesla has mounted a pressure campaign to win FSD approval in Europe by portraying regulators as obstacles to a technology it says improves road safety.

• Several European countries, including the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Denmark, have approved the use of the system throughout the year.

• An EU-wide vote on FSD could come as soon as December.

(Reporting by Marie Mannes in Stockholm and Vera Dvorakova in Gdansk; Editing by Joe Bavier)