Germany has reportedly adopted a tougher position on the transfer of migrants between European Union member states, calling for the resumption of transfers to Italy and Greece following the entry into force of the EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum.
According to the ANSA news agency, Berlin believes the implementation of the new European asylum framework must be accompanied by a functioning system for transferring asylum seekers back to the EU countries responsible for processing their claims.
The German Interior Ministry said the effective operation of the Dublin system was an “indispensable condition” for the success of the Common European Asylum System. A ministry spokesperson reportedly told ANSA that Germany expected transfers to Italy and Greece to resume following the implementation of the new migration pact on June 12.
Under the previous Dublin rules, responsibility for examining an asylum application generally falls on the EU member state through which an asylum seeker first entered the bloc. The system was designed to prevent people from submitting multiple asylum applications in different EU countries and to establish which member state is responsible for processing an individual’s claim.
The new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum introduces additional rules aimed at limiting secondary movements, referring to cases in which asylum seekers move from the member state responsible for their application to another EU country.
Secondary movement has been a major source of disagreement between countries located along Europe’s external borders and northern European states, including Germany, Austria and France. Countries such as Italy and Greece have historically faced pressure from other member states to take responsibility for migrants who entered the EU through their territory.
Germany’s position signals that Berlin wants the new system to result in a more effective distribution of responsibility among member states and greater enforcement of rules requiring asylum seekers to remain in the country responsible for their claims.
However, the Italian government appears to dispute Germany’s assessment of the number of migrants who could currently be transferred back to Italy under the Dublin framework.
Italian Interior Ministry sources told ANSA that there were currently “no Dublin migrants to take back from Germany.” According to the sources, Italy considers migrants who entered through Italian territory before June 12 and subsequently moved to another EU member state to have already been dealt with under existing bilateral or European arrangements.
The Italian sources argued that these migrants had been effectively cleared under agreements previously reached with other European countries, meaning that there were no outstanding cases that Germany could immediately return to Italy under the Dublin system.
Rome also maintained that it was too early to determine whether migrants who entered Italy after June 12 had subsequently travelled to other EU member states.
Italian officials said insufficient time had passed since the new rules came into force to establish how many people who arrived after that date might now be present elsewhere in Europe and whether they would qualify for transfer under the new system.
The Italian government is also expected to challenge how responsibility is calculated for some migrants who arrive in Italy after June 12. According to the Italian Interior Ministry sources, Rome could seek to activate a compensation mechanism for irregular migrants who entered Italy aboard vessels operated by non-governmental organisations flying the flags of other European countries.
The issue reflects the broader dispute over how responsibility for migrants rescued or intercepted in the Mediterranean should be divided among EU member states.
Italy has repeatedly argued that countries whose flagged vessels participate in migrant rescue operations should share responsibility for the people brought ashore rather than leaving countries such as Italy to manage the majority of arrivals.
The disagreement highlights the difficulties facing the EU as it attempts to implement its new migration and asylum framework. While the Pact on Migration and Asylum is intended to create a more coordinated European system, member states continue to hold different views over responsibility for asylum seekers, border arrivals, transfers and returns.
Germany’s demand for renewed transfers to Italy and Greece is therefore likely to become an important test of how the new system operates in practice. Italy’s insistence that there are currently no eligible Dublin migrants to receive from Germany could also set the stage for further negotiations between the two governments.
As the new European asylum rules begin to take effect, EU countries will face pressure to demonstrate that the revised system can resolve longstanding disputes over responsibility for asylum seekers, prevent secondary movements, and ensure that migrants are processed in accordance with the bloc’s common rules.