Salvini says he spoke with Musk and wants Italy open to Tesla's driving system

A call with Musk and a push for approval

Italy's deputy prime minister and transport minister, Matteo Salvini, told the Stati generali della logistica del Nord-Ovest in Genoa that he had held a call with Elon Musk on autonomous driving. In a post on X, a platform owned by Musk, Salvini described the conversation as "very positive and constructive" and said Italy is watching new technologies with interest. He also called on the European Union to approve quickly the driver-assistance system developed by Tesla. The reports differ on the exact day of the call, so the timing is left out here. Repubblica framed the call as part of a wider debate over approval rules, liability and limits on circulation for vehicles without a driver. Speaking in Genoa, he tied the push to investment interest, saying:

“Companies want to invest in Italy.”

What the Tesla system can and cannot do

The system at the centre of the talks is Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which is called Tesla Assisted Driving in Europe. Despite its name, it does not drive the car on its own. According to La Repubblica, it can handle steering, speed, lane changes and other manoeuvres, but the driver must keep watching the road and stay ready to step in. Open places it at level 2 of the SAE scale, which runs from 0 (no automation) to 5 (fully autonomous), where the system controls steering, accelerator and brakes together. Responsibility stays with whoever sits at the wheel. Robotaxis, driverless shuttles and automated logistics vehicles belong to levels 3 or 4, where the system can take over under defined conditions or within set areas. Open also flags safety concerns, in particular the possibility that the system exceeds speed limits.

Europe, the Dutch approval and the EU vote

The Dutch authority RDW authorised the system in April 2026 under the applicable procedures, according to La Repubblica. That approval does not automatically hold across the whole European Union. Brussels sets the technical and safety requirements for vehicles, while member states keep control of circulation, insurance, road access and civil and criminal liability. Tesla wants an approval valid across the bloc, but Open reports that the vote expected in October has slipped, and the next opportunity for a decision could come in December.

Where Italy stands

Salvini also said he had given ministry technicians a steer on the same principle:

“Open the doors as wide as possible, within current regulations, to innovation.”

Italy already allows road testing under the "Smart Road" decree, La Repubblica reports. Open still describes driverless cars as an experiment on Italian roads, although cars with level 1 and level 2 assistance already circulate. Salvini acknowledged the insurance and civil and criminal liability constraints, which he said cannot close the doors to the future.