There are obstacles blocking access to international protection procedures in Trieste, according to a report presented on December 17 by a committee of NGOs working with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the area.
Access to the procedure for international protection in Italy's northeastern port city of Trieste is marred by "serious, recurring obstacles", according to a report entitled Accesso Negato ("Access Denied") presented on December 17.
The report was drafted by a series of NGOs working with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the area. These include the Italian Solidarity Consortium (ICS), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Diaconia Valdese, Linea d'Ombra, No Name Kitchen, Gruppo Operatrici Antiviolenza e Progetti (GOAP), Fondazione Luchetta, and Comitato per i Diritti Civili delle Prostitute (CDCP).
The report was the result of monitoring done during 2025 based on witness statements, assistance activities, and reports sent to the authorities.
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'People trapped in legal limbo'
"Every day, dozens of people go to the immigration office at the Trieste police headquarters to request asylum. However, only 10-12 manage to access the offices and only a few of them manage to make their request official," the associations claim.
On average, "the filing of the request for international protection happens about three weeks after the first attempt. However, it is not unusual for it to take over 30 or even over 60 days. In this period, people are trapped in a legal limbo," they added.
The report referred to a series of alleged "discretional and illegitimate practices:" as a result, "hundreds of people are forced to live for weeks or months without any form of reception" assistance, claim the organizations working in the city, which is one end of the so-called Balkan route.
Trieste is often seen as a transit location, with most migrants who arrive here from neighboring Slovenia intending onward travel to countries in northern Europe, like Germany, France, the Netherlands. Others may be hoping to travel through Italy and France to reach the Channel coasts and make a final boat journey towards the UK.
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Requests made by NGOs
The group of NGOs have requested that the authorities "increase the administrative service to allow for the timely filing of asylum requests, the establishment of priority procedures for those in vulnerable conditions, greater transparency on access modalities for the procedure, and the activation of permanent technical coordination between the police headquarters, the prefect's office, tertiary sector entities, and protection bodies."
The associations also announced that they would be meeting with the police headquarters on December 18, to present the issues highlighted in their report to them in person.