Report
In December 2024, EU Member States – including Italy – submitted their National Implementation Plans ahead of the upcoming implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. Yet, one year later, the Italian government has still not made its Plan public. This gap in transparency comes at a critical moment: starting in June 2026, the Pact will introduce new rules and procedures with severe implications for people seeking safety in Europe. Italy will be required to adopt practices that could profoundly affect access to protection, procedural safeguards, and reception conditions for those arriving to Europe in search of protection.
The report “At the Threshold of Safety: Barriers and solutions on the path to protection in Italy” offers a clear, evidence-based look at the changing landscape of asylum and protection in Italy at a pivotal moment for the country and for Europe. As global displacement reaches record levels, Italy remains a major point of arrival for people seeking safety by sea, land, and air. Yet the report shows how current and emerging policies risk leaving many asylum seekers in legal limbo, facing dangerous journeys, limited access to procedures, and prolonged delays that heighten vulnerability and hinder inclusion.
Informed by the International Rescue Committee Italy’s reception and integration programs and decades of experience responding to humanitarian crises around the world, this report analyses lessons learned from Italy’s current responses and sets out solutions-oriented recommendations for more effective, humane border and asylum processes and strengthened safe pathways for refugees.
The report describes the challenges people face upon reaching Italy, including obstacles to expressing intent to seek asylum, gaps in screening and identification of vulnerabilities, inconsistent access to reception, and accelerated and border procedures that compromise fairness and due process. The analysis also highlights how externalization measures and restrictive cooperation agreements further endanger people on the move while failing to address underlying protection needs. At the same time, the report recognizes steps Italy has taken to pilot safe pathways - such as education- and work-based channels - and the crucial role these initiatives can play in offering humane and safe alternatives to dangerous routes.
With the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum entering into force in June 2026 and temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine approaching expiration in March 2027, the coming years will be decisive. The report’s goal is to inform practical, forward-looking policy, setting out recommendations to facilitate access to territory, ensure fair and timely asylum procedures, expand safe pathways, and reinforce a person-centered, rights-based approach.
