Latest news in Italy? September 18th, 2026

Naval Security & Shipping: Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced that Italy is preparing its navy for an independent national mission to safeguard merchant shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Rather than waiting for the EU’s Aspides mission to greenlight transit decisions, Rome is assessing deploying assets like the frigate Bergamini to prevent costly supply-chain disruptions.

Economic Indicators: Official data from Istat confirmed Italy’s annual inflation rate accelerated to 3.3% in August (up from 2.9% in July), primarily driven by upward pressure on non-regulated and regulated energy costs.

Border Policy: The Interior Ministry extended border checks and the temporary suspension of the EU Schengen open-border arrangement with Spain for an additional 15 days, citing internal security and risk assessments.

Disaster Recovery Funding: The European Commission put forward a proposal allocating €74.8 million from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to assist Italy in post-storm reconstruction following heavy weather damage and flooding earlier in the year.