The much discussed circulation block for diesel vehicles Euro 5 . Thanks to an amendment to Infrastructure decree signed by the League, the entry into force was officially postponed to 1 October 2026. A decision that affects in particular the regions of the North, such as Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagnawhere the greatest number of cars affected by the norm is concentrated.
Stop only in large urban centers
One of the most relevant news is the modification of the demographic criterion for the application of the ban. The euro 5 diesel block will be valid Only in municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitantsthus excluding a long list of medium-small centers previously involved. In practice, restrictions will mainly concern Milan, Turin, Bologna and few other cities equipped with a system of more efficient public transport.
Possibility of alternative measures
The new amendment also introduces a clause of environmental flexibility. The Regions will have the possibility of compensate the emissions deriving from the failure to apply the block through Alternative measuresas long as they are consistent with European environmental objectives. This means that, even after 2026, the ban can be avoided if equivalent tools are adopted for reduce pollution.
The position of the government and oppositions
The vice premier Matteo Salvini expressed great satisfaction for the postponement, calling it an act of common sense against European “bureaucratic follies”. Also the deputy Riccardo Molinarithe first signatory of the amendment, underlined the will of the League to avoid a block that would have hit millions of Italian motorists, leaving more time for local administrations for organize.
The oppositionsInstead, they criticize hard The method adopted. Not so much for the content of the postponement, as for the parliamentary management of the decree, judged hasty and opaque. Some representatives of the Democratic Party spoke of a “regulatory mess“And denounced the absence of a real comparison on the classroom text.
A postponement that divides
According to the ACI data, they are approximately 3.7 million Euro 5 diesel cars still in circulation in Italy, of which 1.3 million Only in the four regions of the north. The postponement therefore represents a relief for many motorists, but can only raise doubts about the consistency of environmental policies and on theeffective will to reduce pollution in a structural way.
