Speaking after the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 5 March 2026, EU Home-Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner urged the European Parliament to adopt the long-awaited Returns Regulation, describing it as “the final piece” of the bloc’s new Migration and Asylum Pact, due to enter into force in June. Brunner also highlighted the need to complete upgrades to Eurodac and the Entry/Exit System (EES) “so we can identify threats before the holiday season.”
For Italy—which will host the 2026 Winter Paralympics in March next year—operationalising EES is a strategic priority. Border Police must integrate biometric kiosks at Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino and key land crossings with Austria and Slovenia, where temporary Schengen checks remain in place. Failure to meet the summer deadline could force manual stamping, increasing queues and breaching carrier-liability rules.
Travel managers and individual visitors who need to stay ahead of these evolving requirements can simplify the process by using VisaHQ’s digital platform, which offers step-by-step assistance for Italian and Schengen visa or ETIAS applications and provides real-time alerts on changes like EES enrolment procedures: https://www.visahq.com/italy/ Leveraging this service helps ensure travellers remain compliant and avoid unnecessary delays at newly upgraded border checkpoints.
![EU Commissioner Brunner Presses for Return Regulation and Readiness of Smart Borders Before Summer]()
The Returns Regulation would streamline procedures for repatriating third-country nationals with no right to stay. Italian lawmakers broadly support the measure, arguing it will ease pressure on reception centres in Sicily and Apulia. Employers that rely on seasonal workers from visa-exempt Balkan countries should monitor implementing acts to ensure that overstays do not jeopardise future quota allocations.
Brunner’s comments suggest the Commission may tie future funding for Member States’ border upgrades to demonstrable progress on Eurodac data quality—an area where Italy has faced infringement warnings. Global-mobility teams should therefore expect stricter exit-checks and advise travellers to keep boarding passes and accommodation proofs for potential exit interviews.
Industry groups such as Federturismo have called for a dedicated ‘fast-track Olympic lane’ at northern borders to avoid trade-flow bottlenecks during the 2026 Games, but officials say this will depend on EES analytics being fully functional.
For Italy—which will host the 2026 Winter Paralympics in March next year—operationalising EES is a strategic priority. Border Police must integrate biometric kiosks at Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino and key land crossings with Austria and Slovenia, where temporary Schengen checks remain in place. Failure to meet the summer deadline could force manual stamping, increasing queues and breaching carrier-liability rules.
Travel managers and individual visitors who need to stay ahead of these evolving requirements can simplify the process by using VisaHQ’s digital platform, which offers step-by-step assistance for Italian and Schengen visa or ETIAS applications and provides real-time alerts on changes like EES enrolment procedures: https://www.visahq.com/italy/ Leveraging this service helps ensure travellers remain compliant and avoid unnecessary delays at newly upgraded border checkpoints.
The Returns Regulation would streamline procedures for repatriating third-country nationals with no right to stay. Italian lawmakers broadly support the measure, arguing it will ease pressure on reception centres in Sicily and Apulia. Employers that rely on seasonal workers from visa-exempt Balkan countries should monitor implementing acts to ensure that overstays do not jeopardise future quota allocations.
Brunner’s comments suggest the Commission may tie future funding for Member States’ border upgrades to demonstrable progress on Eurodac data quality—an area where Italy has faced infringement warnings. Global-mobility teams should therefore expect stricter exit-checks and advise travellers to keep boarding passes and accommodation proofs for potential exit interviews.
Industry groups such as Federturismo have called for a dedicated ‘fast-track Olympic lane’ at northern borders to avoid trade-flow bottlenecks during the 2026 Games, but officials say this will depend on EES analytics being fully functional.
