EU Projects KEYSTONE and eFTI4EU Successfully Complete Italy’s First Paperless Freight Transport Pilot
On 15 October 2025, KEYSTONE and eFTI4EU, two EU-funded initiatives, successfully completed a joint pilot test of a paperless freight transport operation between the Port of La Spezia and Bologna Interport. The initiative was led by Gruber Logistics on behalf of KEYSTONE and by Circle Group on behalf of the eFTI4EU project. The pilot involved transporting a container of goods from the Ligurian port (Italy) to Bologna Interport (Italy), fully managed by Gruber Logistics.
For the first time in Italy, the entire transport process took place digitally, without any paper documentation. This allowed enforcement authorities to perform checks simply by scanning secure QR codes that provided all necessary information, such as the electronic consignment note (e-CMR) and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) data. These were managed digitally through the KEYSTONE web application, interconnected with the eFTI platform, the eFTI Gate Italy node, and the Port Community System (PCS) of La Spezia.
The transport pilot conducted by Gruber Logistics confirmed the full interoperability between public and private systems, allowing safe and secure data exchange, reducing administrative burdens, and supporting faster and more transparent inspections.
This pilot marks an important step towards establishing a European network of interoperable digital platforms for logistics and transport, aligned with the objectives of the EU’s eFTI Regulation and the European Green Deal.
“As coordinators of the KEYSTONE project, we are proud to see the results of our joint efforts with industrial and institutional partners becoming tangible. This pilot demonstrates how research and innovation can directly contribute to a smarter, greener, and more interoperable European logistics system. The success of this test marks an important step towards the real implementation of digital freight transport, showing that collaboration across projects like KEYSTONE and eFTI4EU can turn the vision of seamless, paperless logistics into reality.”
Both the KEYSTONE and eFTI4EU projects continue to showcase how research and innovation can contribute to a more sustainable, efficient, and competitive future for transport and logistics in Europe.
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