Euro 5 diesel, stop blocking from October 2025

Stop the block on 'euro 5' diesels in Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna as of first of October 2026. The deadline is moved forward by one year. And, after that date, this measure can be replaced by different instruments that compensate for the cut in emissions. The news has just arrived in the law converting the Infrastructure Decree, under discussion in the Chamber of Deputies, with an amendment signed by Riccardo Molinari (Lega).

The freeze was scheduled to start on 1 October in Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, to overcome the European Commission's infringement proceedings on air quality. Now comes more flexibility. Because the deadline has been moved from 1 October 2025 to 1 October 2026 for regions to structurally restrict 'the circulation of diesel-powered passenger cars and commercial vehicles of category N1, N2 and N3 of category "Euro 5"'. Moreover, this restriction will no longer apply in municipalities with more than 30,000 inhabitants but more than 100,000.

Once the deadline of 1 October 2026 has passed, the regions will be able to avoid introducing the structural limitation for cars in the air quality plans 'through the adoption, in the aforementioned plans, of compensatory measures suitable for achieving levels of reduction of polluting emissions consistent with the constraints deriving from the Euro-unification system'.

If they so wish, the regions will still be able to introduce the ban even before October 2026, 'by updating their respective air quality plans and amending their implementing measures'.

For the Minister of Infrastructure, Matteo Salvini, 'it is a common sense choice'. Says the leader of the League's group in the Chamber of Deputies, Riccardo Molinari: 'Giving a brake to the follies of Brussels on the euro5 is and always will be an objective of the League. Our approved amendment to the Infrastructures Decree goes in this direction: we will exempt Piedmont and the regions of the Po Valley from the Euro 5 diesel vehicle circulation ban. For Lega Lega deputy Elena Maccanti: "We have thus avoided a profoundly unfair measure, the offspring of the crazy European climate directives, which would have brought families, workers and businesses to their knees.