Italy has approved a long-awaited law allowing end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) to be deregistered from the PRA and scrapped even when under administrative seizure, removing a major bottleneck for authorised dismantlers and municipalities. Backed by ADQ and Cisambiente Confindustria, it aims to unlock action on an estimated 1.5 million abandoned vehicles in 2025 and a wider multi-year backlog.
ADQ – Association of Quality Vehicle Dismantlers and Cisambiente Confindustria, in Italy, welcomes with great satisfaction the final approval by the Senate of the Republic of the law that regulates the deregistration from the Public Vehicle Register (PRA) of end-of-life vehicles, including in cases where the vehicles are subject to an administrative seizure/hold.
This is a measure of historic significance, long awaited not only by operators in the end-of-life automotive sector but also by local administrations, which have often been unable to intervene effectively in the issue of abandoned vehicles. A phenomenon that has taken on alarming dimensions and, according to estimates, in 2025 alone affects more than 1.5 million vehicles left across the national territory, with clear repercussions for urban decay, environmental risks, and costs for the community.
The approved provision was previewed and presented by MP Gaetana Russo at ADQ’s National Congress, initiating a direct, concrete discussion with the vehicle-dismantling supply chain. ADQ has collaborated with MP Russo and her parliamentary staff from the earliest stages, providing technical and operational input that enabled the development of a framework that is now clear, applicable, and consistent with the realities of facilities and dismantling procedures.
The law now enables deregistration from the PRA and the scrapping of end-of-life vehicles even in the presence of an administrative hold, overcoming one of the most significant obstacles that, for years, has paralysed removal and disposal activities. The operational role of municipalities and road-owning entities is also strengthened: they can certify that recovered vehicles are unusable, even when not claimed by their owners, thereby initiating proper management processes from both environmental and administrative standpoints.
Responsibilities are clearly defined, while liabilities and the waste management sanctions framework remain in place. Any incentive or facilitation for non-compliant owners is also excluded, underscoring the rule’s strict structure.
Within this new regulatory framework, ADQ – operating within Cisambiente’s Confindustria system – reaffirms its full willingness to cooperate with institutions and local authorities, making available a national network of authorized, certified, and traceable facilities capable of ensuring timely interventions and the proper management of end-of-life vehicles, in full compliance with environmental and safety regulations.
“We very much welcome the final approval of this law, which restores concrete tools for legality and environmental protection,” states Ruggiero Delvecchio, National President of ADQ. “Italian vehicle-dismantling facilities are ready to face this challenge and to manage – correctly from a technical, environmental, and administrative standpoint – even vehicles subject to an administrative hold. I would like to sincerely thank MP Russo for the tireless, competent, and determined work carried out over these years: the dialogue started during our National Congress has found a concrete legislative outcome that is useful for the country.”
“This measure is a decisive tool for environmental protection: it will remove from the roads about 3.5 million cars abandoned over recent years,” says Lucia Leonessi, Director General of Cisambiente Confindustria, “which can therefore be dismantled. The environmental benefit is twofold: it not only eliminates a source of pollution, but also increases the amount of metal materials available, expanding a potential supply pool of raw materials that can be sent for recycling and reintroduced into the production cycle.”
ADQ and Cisambiente Confindustria will continue to work in synergy with institutions to ensure uniform implementation of the law across the national territory and deliver concrete results in terms of legality, urban decorum, and environmental protection.
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