Italy Backs EU-Wide Tesla FSD Approval After Salvini Speaks With Elon Musk
Italian Deputy PM supports swift European authorization, though national road approval remains pending.
Italy has signaled support for the rapid European Union-wide approval of Tesla’s supervised driving software following a direct conversation between Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Elon Musk.
What Happened
Matteo Salvini, Italy’s Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, announced on X that he supports a swift European decision regarding Tesla Assisted Driving, the brand’s designated name for Full Self-Driving (FSD) in the region. The announcement followed a productive discussion with Musk, during which Salvini emphasized Italy’s interest in fostering innovation and improving road safety. While the Deputy Prime Minister endorsed the EU-wide process, his statement did not indicate that Italy would immediately seek independent national approval for the feature on local roads. This development aligns Italy with Germany, which previously supported European approval subject to specific conditions, including naming conventions and speed parameters that Tesla has since addressed.
Why It Matters
The path to EU-wide authorization requires a vote from at least 15 member states representing 65% of the EU population, a threshold that remains unmet. A final vote is expected no earlier than December. Currently, Tesla is accelerating its rollout by securing individual national approvals; Latvia recently became the 10th EU country to approve FSD. The Dutch vehicle authority RDW issued the initial provisional approval in April, allowing other nations to recognize the authorization nationally while the broader EU process continues. For consumers, the regulatory landscape suggests that initial EU approval will likely be restricted to vehicles equipped with Hardware 4 (HW4). Older HW3 vehicles are expected to remain ineligible until Tesla’s planned hardware upgrade, as the current software gap between the two hardware generations is significant.
The Bottom Line
Italy’s endorsement strengthens Tesla’s coalition for EU-wide FSD approval, but the feature is not yet legally available on Italian roads. The company continues to pursue a dual strategy of national approvals and federal EU authorization, with a final decision from the European Commission anticipated in late 2026.
