Italy Backs Tesla’s Push for EU-Wide Approval of Supervised FSD

Tesla has gained public support from Italy’s government in its effort to secure European Union approval for its supervised driving software.

Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said he supports a swift decision after speaking with Elon Musk, giving the company backing from another major EU member state ahead of a planned December vote.

Salvini calls for a faster decision on Tesla Assisted Driving

Italy “supports a swift EU approval of Tesla Assisted Driving,” Salvini wrote on X, describing his conversation with Musk as “very positive and constructive.” Musk replied, “Much appreciated. Thank you!” Tesla Assisted Driving is the name used in Europe for the system Tesla sells elsewhere as Full Self-Driving (Supervised).

At a logistics event in Genoa, Salvini said he had instructed his ministry’s technical staff to make room for innovation within the limits of existing law, and he pointed to interest from several companies in investing in Italy’s assisted-driving sector. He acknowledged unresolved questions involving insurance and civil and criminal liability but argued, as reported by Italian outlet Smartworld, that those issues should not stop the country from looking ahead, according to Eletric Vehicles.

The Netherlands’ vehicle authority, RDW, cleared the system on April 10 using Article 39 of EU Regulation 2018/858, an exemption route for new technology. That authorization applies only within the Netherlands, but nine more EU countries have since recognized it for use on their roads, with Latvia becoming the tenth on October 26. Combined, those ten nations hold only around 14% of the EU’s population. Italy has not followed that route, and Germany, France and Spain have also yet to recognize the Dutch approval.

Approval across the bloc would take a qualified majority in the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles, meaning at least 15 of the 27 member states, together home to at least 65% of the EU’s population. The panel has taken up the Dutch request three times, most recently on October 6, but has yet to vote, and Germany’s Transport Ministry expects a vote in December.

Speed limits and driver responsibility remain central objections

Speed has been the main point of disagreement. Germany said on October 6 that it had reached an agreement with Tesla under which the system could exceed speed limits by no more than 10%, while drivers would remain fully responsible. The ministry also said Tesla had offered to use the name Tesla Assisted Driving after it called the Full Self-Driving name “somewhat misleading.”

Sweden has raised concerns about the system’s ability to drive above posted limits, Reuters reported. In Latvia, the regulator said Tesla had lowered that threshold, made manual speed offsets reset after every trip and tightened driver monitoring.

The software is classified as Level 2 driver assistance: hands can come off the wheel, but drivers have to keep their eyes on the road and stay responsible for complying with traffic laws.

Salvini’s call for an EU decision has also drawn criticism from Luca Foresti, CEO of Niulinx, a company developing Level 4 automated driving. Foresti told Il Foglio that Salvini’s post wrongly pointed to the EU, arguing that type approval rests with national governments, as the ten countries recognizing the Dutch approval have shown. He also criticized proposed Italian Highway Code changes that would require a person inside an automated vehicle to be ready to take control outside approved tests. The draft rules, which still require parliamentary review, are set to apply from 2028.

With Italy and Germany publicly supporting an EU-wide decision, Tesla still needs backing from enough other member states to meet the population threshold. France and Spain remain among the major countries that have not recognized the Dutch authorization.

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