Austria has started to send back certain asylum seekers to Italy, according to media reports. The four cases returned to Italy all involve asylum seekers who had already filed asylum claims in Italy before moving on to Austria to lodge another claim. Under the EU's Dublin Regulation, Italy was considered responsible for examining their claims.
According to the ANSA news agency, four people have reportedly been returned from Austria to Italy in the past two months under the EU's so-called Dublin regulation.
The EU-wide law stipulates that migrants who wish to apply for asylum have to lodge an application in the first country they reach within the bloc.
Many people arrive in Europe via southern countries like Italy, Spain and Greece, where they formally apply for asylum before moving on to other member states further north.
Typically, these migrants tend to then file another asylum application in the secondary country; if this is found out, the secondary country has a right to send such applicants back to their initial country of application -- within a certain timeframe.
European asylum agencies have been improving communication between various national and transnational databases to ensure that asylum seekers who apply for protection in several places are returned to their country of arrival.
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New EU rules also affect Dublin cases
The developments in Austria and Italy come after the EU's new Pact on Migration and Asylum came into effect in June, which includes changes and amendments to the existing Dublin rules.
Moving forward, asylum cases will be scrutinized more closely, with those unlikely to qualify being pegged for deportation more swiftly. There are also changes to timeframes applied to potential Dublin returnees.
Under the new rules, authorities will also be obliged to cut costs when it comes to returning migrants, with train or bus tickets to be given priority where applicable -- especially for Dublin returns within the EU.
While the transfers out of Austria were not part of the implementation of the new EU asylum system, the asylum seekers nevertheless were sent back to Italy by public modes of transport.
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Ongoing spat between Italy and Germany
Earlier in the week, Italy had expressed its reluctance to similar transfers in the context of its bilateral relations with Germany.
Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi asked German authorities to provide funds for those returned under the Dublin agreement.
Germany is yet to agree to making any such financial contributions towards the care of Dublin returnees.
Italy had justified the request citing changes to the law under the EU pact, and a different interpretation of timelines and due dates involved in the process of integrating the new EU-wide legal framework into its national laws.
In addition to Germany, Switzerland has also expressed its intention to send asylum seekers back to Italy under the mechanism.
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