With daily arrivals on the Balkan route again topping 250 people, Trieste’s Questura has imposed new time and space limits on humanitarian groups that distribute food and medical aid in Piazza Libertà, the city’s informal transit hub. In a press note the police said assistance may now be provided only between 18:00 and 20:00 on weekdays and must respect designated lanes that leave the station forecourt clear for security patrols. The decision follows an uptick in drug dealing, several fights among migrants and an assault on journalists covering the scene. Officials stress that the restrictions are “temporary and proportionate” and aim to protect both volunteers and migrants. However, local NGOs argue that the two-hour window coincides with train arrivals from the Slovenian border and is insufficient for hot-meal distribution. Regional politicians from across the spectrum have weighed in: opposition parties accuse the government of criminalising solidarity, while centre-right councillors applaud what they call a ‘return to decorum’ in the city’s main square. For global-mobility managers the move signals a hardening stance on ad-hoc humanitarian presence near entry corridors. Companies moving staff through Trieste—whether seafarers changing crews or executives heading to Friuli’s shipyards—should anticipate heavier police checks and potential traffic diversions around the central station in the early evening. The episode also illustrates the spill-over effects of Italy’s ongoing border controls with Slovenia, in force until at least 18 December 2026 under Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code. As official crossing points tighten, more people attempt secondary routes, concentrating humanitarian needs in urban hotspots like Piazza Libertà. Practically, assignees arriving by rail from Ljubljana or Zagreb are advised to carry proof of accommodation, as police have stepped up identity verification inside the station. Employers should brief travellers on avoiding large gatherings after dusk and provide emergency contact numbers for local relocation providers.
Source: ANSA
