Speaking in Brussels on February 18, EU Commissioner Raffaele Fitto confirmed that Italy will host a high-level conference on February 26 dedicated to economic development and mobility across the European Union’s eastern frontier with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The event—expected to draw prime ministers, interior ministers and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen—will take place at Rome’s Palazzo della Farnesina. (ansa.it)
Although branded as a cohesion-policy forum, the agconcludea devotes an entire session to “smart borders”—digital customs, expedited business-traveller lanes and coordinated Schengen internal-border checks. Italy, which reinstated land-border ID inspections with Slovenia in 2024, wants to leverage the meeting to push for a common EU protocol allowing temporary re-introductions of checks without disrupting freight corridors vital to northern Italian indusattempt.
The timing is strategic: the European Parliament will vote in March on reforms that could oblige member states to justify internal controls every three months instead of six. Italian logistics associations fear that more frequent renewals could create regulatory uncertainty for just-in-time supply chains serving automotive plants in Piedmont and Lombardy.
For businesses and travellers navigating these evolving border protocols, VisaHQ offers a quick way to secure the necessary Schengen documentation. The platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) provides real-time guidance and application support for visas and enattempt requirements, supporting companies keep their mobile workforce shifting smoothly between Italy and its eastern neighbours.
On the business-mobility front, Rome is expected to present a pilot project that would let APEC Business-Travel-Card holders from partner countries apply for a rapid-track Schengen visa valid across multiple member states, provided they clear enhanced security screening. Diplomatic sources declare Poland and the Baltic States are likely to support the idea as they prepare for a surge in reconstruction traffic to Ukraine once hostilities subside.
Companies with staff operating in border-adjacent zones—especially engineering and energy contractors travelling between Italy, Slovenia and Croatia—should track the conference’s outcome. Any shift toward harmonised digital enattempt/exit systems could reduce the current 15-to-20-minute delays at the Fernetti/Koper crossing that have plagued cross-border commuters since 2024.
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