Italy plans diesel ban for Euro 5 – holidaymakers would also be affected

Almost all Italian regions have had diesel bans in place for years: Whenever the air gets particularly thick, major cities like Milan, Rome, Florence, and countless other municipalities issue temporary driving bans for diesel vehicles. The restrictions previously applied to older vehicles that met the Euro 2, 3, or at most 4 emissions standards. But now the regions of the Po Valley – Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna – are taking a significant step forward: Starting October 1, even diesel vehicles with Euro 5 emissions standards will be subject to driving bans. This includes cars that are sometimes only ten years old.

The bans apply – with minor regional differences – in all cities with more than 30,000 inhabitants during the day and on weekdays (in Lombardy, the entire week). They will then be lifted again on April 15, after the winter heating period. In the four regions mentioned above, around one million diesel vehicles are affected by the new driving bans – plus, of course, all older diesel vehicles with even worse emissions standards. In Lombardy alone, 400,000 diesel vehicles with Euro 5 emissions standards are registered. And what may also be of interest to foreign holidaymakers in Italy: their diesel cars are also affected by the driving bans. Violations result in heavy fines: They start at €168 and go up to €658. Particularly unrepentant repeat offenders risk a driving ban of up to one month.

It's no coincidence that the driving bans are being introduced in Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna: Milan and the Po Valley have been considered the regions with the worst air quality in Europe for years. This is primarily due to the topography: The stuffy air accumulates at the Alps in the north; in the south, the foothills of the Apennines seal off the "cauldron." Inversion weather patterns with persistent fog further contribute to the sluggish movement of air masses.

The region is also heavily industrialized and intensively used for agriculture. Since 2014, Brussels has already initiated three criminal proceedings against Italy for the "systematic exceedance" of air pollution limits; the new driving bans were negotiated between Rome, Brussels, and the affected regions to avoid multimillion-euro fines.

Implementation of the measures is, however, lagging behind: The new driving bans were supposed to have been introduced in the fall of 2023, but Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has already postponed their implementation twice due to loud protests from affected diesel drivers and automobile associations. And this time, too, it is by no means certain that the bans will actually come into effect in the fall: "The Lega is working at both the regional and national levels to avoid the blocking of Euro 5 diesel vehicles," was the latest statement from the far-right party led by Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini. Salvini, it was said, is following the dossier closely.

In addition, three of the four regions (Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto) are also governed by the Lega. The Environment Minister of the Piedmont region, Lega member Matteo Marnati, is particularly active in efforts to prevent the bans. "We must reduce emissions without completely restricting the freedom of movement of hundreds of thousands of citizens and small businesses," Marnati declared last week. He promised compensation measures that could reduce particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions in ways other than driving bans. He intends to present these alternative measures in the coming weeks. Possible options include, among others, free public transport subscriptions. The measures are to be coordinated with the other three affected regions.