At the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council held in Brussels on 9 March 2026, EU ministers spent the final session reviewing options for ‘legal clarity on the posting of third-country nationals’. Italy, represented by Labour Minister Marina Calderone, urged the Council to harmonise rules so that non-EU assignees lawfully employed in one member state can work temporarily in another without duplicating work-permit applications. The debate follows a series of infringement proceedings in which posted workers holding Italian permits were fined by northern European labour inspectorates for lacking local authorisations. Italian engineering firms complain that such cases undermine their competitiveness on cross-border infrastructure projects.
![EU Social-Policy Ministers Debate Posting of Third-Country Nationals, Rome Seeks Legal Clarity]()
For companies that need practical help navigating multi-jurisdictional work-permit requirements, VisaHQ’s corporate visa and immigration platform can be a valuable ally. Via its Italian portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), VisaHQ provides document checks, expedited A1 and secondment filings, and real-time status tracking, helping HR teams minimise compliance risks while the EU moves toward harmonised posting rules.
Calderone proposed a digital attestation, linked to the upcoming European Labour ID, that would certify social-security coverage and work-authorisation status in real time. Although no binding decision was taken, the Council agreed to task the Employment Committee with drafting conclusions by June 2026. Business-travel experts predict the move could pave the way for a ‘single-permit-plus’ model under which the host state recognises permits issued elsewhere, provided salary and accommodation thresholds are met. For HR teams the immediate takeaway is the need to audit current posted-worker files. Authorities in France and Germany have stepped up roadside checks of vans and small trucks crossing from Italy, verifying A1 social-security certificates and declarations under local secondment laws. Failure to present documents can lead to on-the-spot fines of up to €1,500 per worker. Global-mobility managers should monitor the forthcoming Council conclusions and be ready to integrate the proposed digital attestation into travel-approval workflows once specifications are published.
For companies that need practical help navigating multi-jurisdictional work-permit requirements, VisaHQ’s corporate visa and immigration platform can be a valuable ally. Via its Italian portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), VisaHQ provides document checks, expedited A1 and secondment filings, and real-time status tracking, helping HR teams minimise compliance risks while the EU moves toward harmonised posting rules.
Calderone proposed a digital attestation, linked to the upcoming European Labour ID, that would certify social-security coverage and work-authorisation status in real time. Although no binding decision was taken, the Council agreed to task the Employment Committee with drafting conclusions by June 2026. Business-travel experts predict the move could pave the way for a ‘single-permit-plus’ model under which the host state recognises permits issued elsewhere, provided salary and accommodation thresholds are met. For HR teams the immediate takeaway is the need to audit current posted-worker files. Authorities in France and Germany have stepped up roadside checks of vans and small trucks crossing from Italy, verifying A1 social-security certificates and declarations under local secondment laws. Failure to present documents can lead to on-the-spot fines of up to €1,500 per worker. Global-mobility managers should monitor the forthcoming Council conclusions and be ready to integrate the proposed digital attestation into travel-approval workflows once specifications are published.
