Home-affairs ministers from all 27 EU states gathered in Dublin on 16–17 July for the Irish-hosted **informal Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) meeting**, with Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi pushing for a “balanced system of solidarity and responsibility” as the bloc rolls out the revamped Common European Asylum System. Day one featured a dedicated session on “Visa Policies to Support Internal Security”. Italy argued that visa-liberalisation negotiations with Western Balkan and Gulf states must include **readmission clauses and data-sharing on overstayers**, warning that unchecked short-stay flows could fuel secondary movements to the peninsula. Rome also urged faster deployment of the EU Entry/Exit System kiosks at all Schengen airports to “avoid one-size-fits-all internal border checks”. On returns, several northern states pressed Italy to accept more transferees under the new rules—an issue now in the spotlight after Rome’s rejection of German requests. Diplomats said the debate was “frank but constructive”, with the Presidency tasking officials to present compromise guidelines before the 1–2 October formal JHA Council. For mobility managers the take-away is two-fold: (1) **additional biometric requirements at Italian airports are still slated for autumn despite concerns over summer crowding**, and (2) companies employing third-country nationals on Schengen short-stay cycles should prepare for tighter monitoring of cumulative days once the Entry/Exit database becomes fully operational.
