Italy’s new three-year ‘Decreto Flussi’ to authorise 500,000 work permits – biggest quota yet
Italy’s coalition pushes new bills to fast-track deportations and strip citizenship for serious crimes
Meloni’s party files bill for automatic deportation of foreign offenders
Latest News
Airlines urge EU to pause Entry/Exit System as Milan Bergamo faces growing holiday queues
European airlines and airports want the EU to let them suspend biometric checks under the new EES border-control system for the summer, citing queues of up to five hours. Milan Bergamo is listed among the worst-affected airports, so travellers to and from Italy should plan for delays and contingency costs.
Rail, Freight and Regional Strikes Cause Nationwide Transport Snarls on 7 July
Separate union actions on 7 July disrupted freight-rail operations nationwide, halted infrastructure maintenance in Sicily and slowed trucking in Turin. While passenger impact was moderated by minimum-service rules, cargo delays and missed rail connections highlight the cumulative risk of Italy’s summer strike calendar for business mobility and supply chains.
Nation-wide air-traffic-control walk-out grounds flights across Sicily and Northern Italy
A 24-hour national strike by air-traffic-control staff on 7 July forced major cancellations in Sicily and disrupted connections in Milan and Rome. Protected flight windows kept a skeleton service running, but business travellers faced missed onward flights and rising re-routing costs. The walk-out highlights ongoing labour unrest that could flare again later in July, posing continued risk to corporate itineraries.
EU gives green light to temporary easing of EES biometrics until end-summer
Brussels has authorised Schengen members, including Italy, to waive fingerprint and facial-image capture under the new Entry/Exit System until the end of the summer rush. The move is intended to ease chronic queues at major airports such as Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Malpensa. Business travellers will experience faster arrivals, but full biometric checks will return in September, so employers should still build contingencies into mobility schedules.
EU Allows Italy to Keep Partial Pause on Biometric Capture Under New Entry/Exit System Until September
The European Commission has given Italy and other Schengen states permission to keep suspending fingerprint and facial-image capture under the new Entry/Exit System until the end of the summer peak. Travellers will still have passports scanned, but full biometrics can be taken on a later trip, easing congestion at Italian airports. The move buys time for infrastructure upgrades and gives companies a clearer picture of border procedures for July-September travel.
Government Finalises New Three-Year ‘Decreto Flussi’ – 500 000 Work Visas for 2026-28
A decree heading to cabinet on 8 July will authorise nearly half a million new work-visa slots for 2026-2028, with clearer sectoral breakdowns and incentives for partner states that curb irregular departures. Early visibility is good news for employers, but past conversion rates show that administrative capacity – not headline quotas – will determine real labour inflows.
Government finalises 2026-28 ‘decreto flussi’ with 500,000 work-permit quotas
A draft ‘decreto flussi’ updated on 7 July confirms Italy will authorise 500,000 non-EU work permits for 2026-28, with 164,850 places in the first year. New features include incentive quotas for cooperative origin countries and staggered click-days. Employers should start preparing applications as early as September.
Catania Airport Reopens After Mount Etna Ash Forces Two-Day Suspension
Catania-Fontanarossa, Sicily’s busiest airport, reopened on 7 July after a 48-hour closure caused by Mount Etna ash. Dozens of flights had been diverted, hitting business travel and cargo flows at the start of the peak tourist season. The case shows how natural-hazard alerts can rapidly disrupt international mobility and highlights the importance of contingency planning for companies with travellers or assignees in southern Italy.
Rome drafts tough new security decree tightening migrant expulsions and port closures
A draft security decree approved by Italy’s cabinet seeks to speed up expulsions, limit port access for rescue vessels and tighten asylum rules. While presented as an implementation of the EU migration pact, the package contains measures that may clash with European standards and could complicate residency renewals for some foreign workers. Corporate mobility programmes should prepare for a tougher compliance landscape once the decree is enacted.
ITA Airways cabin-crew and ground staff join 24-hour labour action
Pilots, cabin crew and ground staff at ITA Airways walked out for 24 hours on 7 July, forcing the carrier to cancel over 140 flights and re-book 20,000 passengers. The strike, linked to pay, fatigue rules and uncertainty over the Lufthansa merger, compounded disruption already caused by air-traffic-control action and shows industrial relations remain a major travel-risk factor in Italy.
Rail passengers and shippers face nationwide stoppages on 7 July
A series of overlapping rail strikes on 7 July disrupted passenger services and freight movements across Italy, with the longest action—a 24-hour nationwide stoppage by Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal—ending at 21:00. Only guaranteed-time trains ran, causing missed connections and delayed cargo. Firms should reinforce travel and supply-chain contingency plans ahead of more strikes later this month.
ITA Airways and Unions Reach 30 % Pay-Rise Deal, Calming Strike Fears
A draft agreement signed on 7 July grants ITA Airways staff an average 30 % pay increase and locks in industrial peace until at least end-2027, easing concerns over further airline-specific strikes during Italy’s peak travel season.
Interior Ministry Reports 54 % Drop in Irregular Arrivals During H1 2026
Interior-ministry data show a sharp fall in irregular entries to 14 566 in H1 2026, reinforcing government claims that tougher controls and the forthcoming Italy-Albania reception hubs are working. Fewer boat arrivals may translate into less border-control friction for legitimate travellers, but risk displacement to other EU routes.
Government Readies New ‘Decreto Flussi’: 500,000 Work Permits for 2026-2028
Rome will approve a new three-year “Decreto Flussi” that opens 500,000 work-permit slots for non-EU citizens between 2026 and 2028. The quotas—164,850 next year—cover seasonal and non-seasonal roles, add fast-track channels for partner countries and introduce multi-year permits. Companies gain larger hiring head-room and a more predictable, fully digital application process.
Italy and Kenya sign migration & mobility memorandum to expand legal pathways
Rome has unveiled a new migration and mobility memorandum with Kenya, opening legal channels for up to 3,000 Kenyan seasonal and skilled workers while bolstering cooperation on returns. The pact helps Italian employers source labour outside standard quota decrees and advances Italy’s broader strategy of linking labour pathways to origin-country collaboration.
Paper ID Cards Lose Travel Validity on 3 August; Domestic Grace Period Extended to 31 January 2027
Decree-Law 108/2026 confirms that paper identity cards cease to be valid for international travel on 3 August 2026, but remain usable within Italy until 31 January 2027. Employers must ensure that mobile staff obtain electronic CIEs or passports in time, as the new temporary paper card may not be accepted abroad.
Triple transport strikes hit rail freight and regional passenger services
On 7 July Italy experienced simultaneous rail-sector strikes: a 24-hour nation-wide action at Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal, an eight-hour stoppage by RFI infrastructure staff in Sicily and a targeted logistics strike in Turin. While passenger disruption was limited, freight flows slowed markedly, highlighting supply-chain vulnerabilities and the need for integrated travel-and-logistics risk planning.
Paper ID cards lose travel validity from 3 August – government offers transitional fix
Decree-Law 108/2026, covered on 7 July, confirms that paper identity cards cannot be used for travel after 3 August 2026, but remain valid domestically until 31 January 2027. A six-month provisional ID can be issued in emergencies, yet its acceptance abroad is uncertain, urging travellers to secure an electronic ID or passport.
Mercitalia Rail-Freight Staff Strike Hits Italian Logistics Corridors
A 24-hour national strike by Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal staff from 6–7 July stalled freight-train operations at key Italian ports and inland terminals, delaying container flows and forcing cargo onto roads. Business shippers and mobility teams should brace for further Monday walk-outs in August if talks fail.