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STRIKES

The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in January 2024

Transport strikes are scheduled in Italy this month as multiple planned protests are set to affect air travel, public transport and taxi services.

Published: 4 January 2024 09:30 CET
Updated: 19 January 2024 11:07 CET
Tram, Italy
Bus, tram and subway services are set to be affected by a nationwide public transport strike on January 24th. Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP

January is usually a fairly quiet month in Italy when it comes to transport walkouts.

This year however, there are multiple protests which people travelling to, from or across the country need to be aware of. 

Below we’ve listed the demonstrations that may cause the most disruption to travellers in the coming weeks. You can see all of the smaller local and regional walkouts planned for this month on the Italian transport ministry’s strike calendar. 

January 23rd – Taxi strike in Rome

Taxi services in the capital may be significantly limited on Tuesday, January 23rd due to a 24-hour local taxi drivers’ strike.

The protest was called earlier this month by USB – one of Italy’s largest transport unions – in protest against an “increase in taxi licences” and the growing presence of “multinational corporations” within national taxi services.

It’s not yet known how many drivers will participate in the walkout, but anyone planning to use cab services on the day should be prepared to find alternative transportation.

Taxi, Italy

Pedestrians cross an empty taxi lane during a taxi drivers’ strike in Rome in February 2017. Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP

January 24th – Nationwide public transport strike

Commuters in Italy are expected to face significant travel disruption on Wednesday, January 24th as public transport staff around the country plan to take part in a 24-hour walkout. 

The strike, which is backed by three of Italy’s largest transport unions, is expected to affect bus, subway and tram services but shouldn’t impact the normal operation of interregional and long-distance trains. 

The level of disruption caused by the walkout will vary by city, with services in large metropolitan areas, including Rome and Milan, expected to be among the most heavily affected. 

By law, all public transport operators in Italy are required to provide ‘minimum services’ (servizi essenziali or minimi in Italian) during strike actions to allow commuters to make the journey to and from their destination.

Minimum services are generally guaranteed to operate during two separate time windows – one in the morning and the other in the evening – but the exact times will once again vary from city to city.

For instance, Milan’s main public transport operator ATM will run minimum services from midnight to 8.45am and then from 3pm to 6pm.

Rome’s transport operator ATAC has said it will guarantee a number of essential services from midnight to 8.30am and then from 5pm to 8pm.

Anyone planning to use public transport on Wednesday is advised to check the status of local services with the relevant operator before setting off.

January 24th – Nationwide air traffic controllers’ strike

Airline passengers travelling to or from Italy may face flight delays and/or cancellations on Wednesday, January 24th as staff at national air traffic control company Enav plan to strike from 1pm to 5pm.

At the time of writing, no airline has announced changes to the scheduled departure or arrival times of flights to or from Italy, but, should delays or cancellations be announced, we will update this section accordingly.

It’s worth remembering that, under national laws, flights scheduled to depart between 7-10am and between 6-9pm are protected from strikes and should therefore go ahead as usual on Wednesday.

A full list of guaranteed flights will be made available on Enav’s own website closer to the strike date. 

All passengers planning to fly to or from Italian airports on Wednesday are advised to check the status of the flight with their airline before setting off.

READ ALSO: What are my rights in Italy if a flight is cancelled or delayed?

There currently are no other major strikes planned for the coming weeks but, should other relevant walkouts be announced, we will update the calendar accordingly. 

Most strikes in Italy are planned well in advance of the actual strike date, but last-minute walkouts or unannounced demonstrations cannot be completely ruled out. 

How bad are strikes in Italy?

Strikes in Italy are frequent but not all of them cause significant disruption for travellers.

The severity of disruption caused by any strike in the country largely depends on how many staff in any part of the transport sector decide to participate on the day.

Even in the case of highly disruptive strikes, some essential services (or servizi minimi) are guaranteed to run at peak times. This goes for all transport sectors, from local public transport to rail and air travel.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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For members

TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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