Finland has announced plans to resume transfers of certain asylum seekers to Italy under a new EU-wide mechanism, becoming the latest European country to do so after Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Sweden has also been sending people to Italy while operating under the previous EU rules governing such transfers. Meanwhile, Spain has expressed its views on how such transfers should be executed, joining Italy in criticizing one-sided approaches.
The Finnish Interior Ministry told the Italian ANSA news agency that it was preparing to send asylum seekers to Italy, who had lodged secondary applications for protection in the nordic country.
"We believe that the entry into force of the EU Regulation on Asylum and Migration Management will allow for the resumption of transfers to Italy. These transfers are currently being prepared," the ministry said in a statement.
"For our part, we remain committed to ensuring the effective implementation of accountability procedures," the statement continued.
"[I]t is important that the rules on responsibility for examining asylum applications are applied as intended, and that all EU member states fulfill their obligations under the pact."
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From Dublin-III to the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation
Under newly amended return rules introduced as part of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in June, authorities have greater scope to transfer certain asylum seekers to their country of first entry within the bloc. The regulation includes streamlined procedures and stricter timelines for such transfers.
The rules primarily affect people who move from country to country within the European Union while lodging multiple asylum claims in several places.
The new regulation, known as the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR), replaces the previous Dublin III Regulation, which had governed responsibility for asylum claims within the EU before, though the two terms are being used interchangeably. The general rule that the first country of entry is responsible for examining an asylum claim continues, but with faster procedures and additional measures aimed at preventing abuse of the system.
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Sweden also engaged in returns
The neighboring nation of Sweden has already been transferring migrants back to Italy under the previous Dublin-III regulation, despite the fact that many EU countries had stopped such returns in recent years in anticipation of the new guidelines.
Victoria Holmqvist, spokesperson for Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell, told ANSA that Stockholm plans to continue on this path, adding that moving forward, the new AMMR would make returns even easier:
"From the Swedish point of view, this is not new, but since the European pact came into force, transfers under the Dublin regulation work better."
Similar plans in Austria, Germany
One day earlier, Austria announced that it had also started to send back asylum seekers to Italy, who do not qualify to remain in the country under the AMMR rules.
According to ANSA, four people have already been returned in the past two months under the deal.
Read AlsoAustria returns asylum seekers to Italy under Dublin regulation rules
Germany said it was also preparing to follow on the same path, though it has run into a gridlock with Italy, as the number of migrants in Germany -- including those who might be pegged to be returned to their first country of arrival -- is quite high.
Italy expressed reluctance to accept such transfers from Germany, with Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi asking Germany to provide financial assistance for those who would be returned under the scheme.
Italy said it had a different interpretation of the AMMR rules superseding the prior Dublin-III regulation; in Rome's view, Dublin cases lodged prior to the start of the EU's Asylum and Migration Regulation on June 12, should not be integrated into the AMMR caseload, which would mean that these migrants cannot be returned to Italy.
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Spain and Italy opposed to current practice
Spain meanwhile announced its own position on the AMMR mechanism and the Dublin rules, echoing a similar sentiment as Italy.
Madrid expressed its opposition to what it referred to as "isolated expulsions," according to ANSA.
Instead, the government said it is "in favor" of including the EU's solidarity mechanism as part of a broader solution -- an approach previously endorsed by Italy as well.
Under that principle, member states would have to chip in to alleviate the burden on a particular EU state. This can involve relocations to other places within the bloc or financial contributions towards alleviating the burden of a frontline state.
While this solidarity mechanism was introduced to help mitigate pressures during a sudden influx of migrant arrivals, Spain and Italy argue it should also be applied in scenarios where larger returns might be involved -- such as the current situation.
Spain and Italy are both EU countries that are situated on the frontlines of irregular migrant arrivals into the bloc, alongside Greece.
The solidarity mechanism was also established as part of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.