Italian President Sergio Mattarella said on April 17 that "the new European Agreement on Migration and Asylum moves beyond the Dublin (Regulation) and opens the door to an increased collaboration between European countries."

The Italian president discussed the new pact during his official visit to Bulgaria, one of the countries on the eastern front of the European Union that is struggling to deal with migrant arrivals.

Mattarella spoke about the deal in Sofia, highlighting that a focus on the countries of first entry as well as on relations with so-called "secondary" countries of migration needed to be at the heart of implementing the new rules.

The Italian head of State stressed the importance of making progress in the European Union's integration process as well, stressing that "(t)he choices that the EU will need to make to be cohesive are important" for Europe to become "more of a protagonist" in its own narrative.

The new set of regulations and policies that are expected to be implemented under the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum have, however, also sparked disagreement and controversy in Brussels, with several parties voting against the bill in the European Parliament.