diff --git a/src/components/internationalization/middleware.ts b/src/components/internationalization/middleware.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 59cd5c4..0000000
--- a/src/components/internationalization/middleware.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,53 +0,0 @@
-import { match } from '@formatjs/intl-localematcher';
-import Negotiator from 'negotiator';
-import { type NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
-import { i18n } from './config';
-
-function getLocale(request: NextRequest) {
-  // 1. Check cookie first for user preference
-  const cookieLocale = request.cookies.get('NEXT_LOCALE')?.value;
-  if (cookieLocale && i18n.locales.includes(cookieLocale as any)) {
-    return cookieLocale;
-  }
-
-  // 2. Get Accept-Language header
-  const headers = {
-    'accept-language': request.headers.get('accept-language') ?? '',
-  };
-  
-  // Use negotiator to parse preferred languages
-  const languages = new Negotiator({ headers }).languages();
-  
-  // Match against supported locales
-  return match(languages, i18n.locales, i18n.defaultLocale);
-}
-
-export function localizationMiddleware(request: NextRequest) {
-  const { pathname } = request.nextUrl;
-  
-  // Check if pathname already has a locale
-  const pathnameHasLocale = i18n.locales.some(
-    (locale) => pathname.startsWith(`/${locale}/`) || pathname === `/${locale}`
-  );
-
-  // If locale exists in URL, continue
-  if (pathnameHasLocale) {
-    return NextResponse.next();
-  }
-
-  // Get best matching locale
-  const locale = getLocale(request);
-  
-  // Redirect to localized URL
-  request.nextUrl.pathname = `/${locale}${pathname}`;
-  const response = NextResponse.redirect(request.nextUrl);
-  
-  // Set cookie for future visits
-  response.cookies.set('NEXT_LOCALE', locale, {
-    maxAge: 365 * 24 * 60 * 60, // 1 year
-    sameSite: 'lax',
-    secure: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production',
-  });
-  
-  return response;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/validate-i18n.js b/validate-i18n.js
index 10d6349..c74e84d 100644
--- a/validate-i18n.js
+++ b/validate-i18n.js
@@ -13,11 +13,6 @@ const checks = [
     path: 'src/components/internationalization/config.ts',
     required: true
   },
-  {
-    name: 'V2.0 Middleware',
-    path: 'src/components/internationalization/middleware.ts',
-    required: true
-  },
   {
     name: 'V2.0 Dictionaries',
     path: 'src/components/internationalization/dictionaries.ts',
@@ -44,8 +39,8 @@ const checks = [
     required: true
   },
   {
-    name: 'Root Middleware',
-    path: 'middleware.ts',
+    name: 'Root Proxy (Next 16)',
+    path: 'proxy.ts',
     required: true
   },
   {
@@ -87,16 +82,18 @@ try {
   allPassed = false;
 }
 
-// Check middleware content
+// Check proxy content (Next 16 replaces middleware.ts)
 try {
-  const middlewarePath = path.join(process.cwd(), 'middleware.ts');
-  const middlewareContent = fs.readFileSync(middlewarePath, 'utf8');
-  
-  const usesNewStructure = middlewareContent.includes('./src/components/internationalization/middleware');
-  console.log(`${usesNewStructure ? '✅' : '❌'} Root middleware uses new structure`);
-  
+  const proxyPath = path.join(process.cwd(), 'proxy.ts');
+  const proxyContent = fs.readFileSync(proxyPath, 'utf8');
+
+  const importsConfig = proxyContent.includes("./src/components/internationalization/config");
+  const exportsProxy = /export\s+function\s+proxy\b/.test(proxyContent);
+  console.log(`${importsConfig ? '✅' : '❌'} proxy.ts imports from internationalization/config`);
+  console.log(`${exportsProxy ? '✅' : '❌'} proxy.ts exports a named proxy() function`);
+
 } catch (error) {
-  console.log('❌ Could not validate middleware content');
+  console.log('❌ Could not validate proxy content');
   allPassed = false;
 }