Italy wants the Vespa Piaggio motorcycle to be recognised as a “national cultural heritage” and save it from future EU carbon emissions regulations for vehicles.

Italy’s nationalist League party, part of the ruling coalition, has submitted a draft law to the Italian parliament in Rome, which states that “in view of its symbolic value and its excellent manufacturing quality as well as its historical, artistic and cultural value, the motorcycle Vespa Piaggio, patented on April 23, 1946, is to be recognised as national cultural heritage”.

The party states this law would exempt the Vespa from future traffic restrictions related to pollutant emissions imposed by local, national or European lawmakers.

The bill is actively supported by Matteo Salvini, Italy’s vice prime minister and transport minister. According to an article in The Times, Salvini wrote in a Facebook post: “This is a common sense proposal that the League will pursue, to defend a heritage, a myth and an Italian symbol on two wheels...