Speaking in Pordenone on 23 September, Slovenian Interior Ministry State Secretary Tina Matoz said that Ljubljana “hopes the Italian suspension of free movement at our common border will end soon,” even though current checks have had “no negative impact on the local population so far.” Italy first re-introduced controls on the Friuli-Venezia Giulia border in October 2023 citing terrorism threats and cross-border crime, and has renewed them in successive six-month increments, most recently until 18 December 2026. Matoz’s remarks came on the sidelines of a trilateral interior-ministers meeting (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia) focusing on migration management and the implementation of the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. Slovenian officials argue that continuing controls undermine regional supply chains that rely on just-in-time truck movements between the Port of Koper and factories in north-east Italy. Italian police, however, say the measure is proportionate and targeted, noting several recent arrests of smuggling facilitators. For businesses, the situation means that coach services, company shuttle vans and freight drivers must continue to schedule a possible stop at Fernetti, Sant’Andrea or other designated crossing points. Although wait times are generally short, unannounced secondary inspections can add delays. Employers relocating staff across the border should instruct assignees to carry residence permits and employment letters. Under EU rules, Italy must regularly justify the necessity and proportionality of the measure to the European Commission, which issued a formal opinion on 2 June 2026 urging Rome to phase out the controls as soon as security conditions permit. Industry associations on both sides of the border are lobbying for a roadmap that would align the end of checks with the full roll-out of the Entry/Exit System and ETIAS traveller pre-authorisation, arguing that digital systems make internal land checks obsolete. Until a definitive decision is taken, mobility managers should monitor Interior Ministry communiqués and factor a 10-to-15-minute buffer into door-to-door itineraries for cross-border staff movements, especially during the pre-Christmas logistics peak.
Source: ANSA
