STRASBOURG / ROME – On February 10, 2026, the European Parliament voted to endorse two regulations central to the bloc’s new Migration & Asylum Pact: an EU-wide definition of “safe third country” and a binding list of nations deemed sufficiently protective for asylum seekers to be returned or redirected. Italy’s interior minister Matteo Piantedosi hailed the outcome as a “great success” for Rome, noting that the list mirrors countries Italy already designates as safe, including Egypt, Tunisia and Bangladesh. (ansa.it)
The safe-country concept allows member states to declare an asylum application inadmissible if the claimant has transited through—or could have requested protection in—a listed country. For Italy, which serves as a primary entry point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, the decision could dramatically shorten processing times for certain nationalities and accelerate returns.
![EU Parliament Approves ‘Safe Third Country’ List—Italian Government Calls It a Win]()
At a practical level, anyone who still needs to secure a Schengen or Italian national visa can tap VisaHQ’s digital portal for up-to-date guidance. The service (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) monitors regulatory changes—inclusive of new “safe country” implications—and provides application checklists, courier options and customer support to keep travelers and HR teams compliant.
Corporate immigration advisers say the immediate impact on work-permit holders is limited, but the political momentum behind more restrictive asylum screening could spill over into tighter scrutiny of visa-overstay cases and greater pressure on employers to ensure that staff on assignee visas depart promptly at project completion.
Yet critics warn that some countries on the list have inconsistent human-rights records. NGOs operating reception centres in Italy argue that “safe” designations may trigger legal challenges, potentially slowing implementation. The European Council is expected to give final formal approval in March, after which member states—including Italy—will have six months to align national procedures. Mobility teams should monitor for updated circulars from Italy’s Ministry of the Interior specifying documentation changes at ports of entry and questure offices.
The safe-country concept allows member states to declare an asylum application inadmissible if the claimant has transited through—or could have requested protection in—a listed country. For Italy, which serves as a primary entry point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, the decision could dramatically shorten processing times for certain nationalities and accelerate returns.
At a practical level, anyone who still needs to secure a Schengen or Italian national visa can tap VisaHQ’s digital portal for up-to-date guidance. The service (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) monitors regulatory changes—inclusive of new “safe country” implications—and provides application checklists, courier options and customer support to keep travelers and HR teams compliant.
Corporate immigration advisers say the immediate impact on work-permit holders is limited, but the political momentum behind more restrictive asylum screening could spill over into tighter scrutiny of visa-overstay cases and greater pressure on employers to ensure that staff on assignee visas depart promptly at project completion.
Yet critics warn that some countries on the list have inconsistent human-rights records. NGOs operating reception centres in Italy argue that “safe” designations may trigger legal challenges, potentially slowing implementation. The European Council is expected to give final formal approval in March, after which member states—including Italy—will have six months to align national procedures. Mobility teams should monitor for updated circulars from Italy’s Ministry of the Interior specifying documentation changes at ports of entry and questure offices.
