Italy Agrees to Resume Dublin Asylum Transfers from Switzerland

Italy has committed in writing to resume taking back asylum seekers transferred from Switzerland under the Dublin Regulation, ending a period of refusal that included interventions with commercial airlines. The Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) confirmed that the Italian migration authority communicated the commitment at the end of October. Transfer preparations are currently underway in Switzerland, with the first transfers expected to take place in the coming days or weeks.

The written commitment follows a failed attempt to restart transfers in mid-August. Although Italian authorities initially acknowledged responsibility for the individuals in question, they rejected the physical transfers when the Swiss side prepared to carry them out. SEM communication chief Daniel Bach confirmed that Italian authorities prevented transfers in individual cases by directly instructing airlines not to accept the asylum seekers as passengers.

Following the failed transfers, Swiss officials raised the issue directly with authorities in Rome and with the European Union, citing non-compliance with the Dublin Agreement. Under the agreement, Switzerland can return asylum seekers who demonstrably entered European territory via Italy. Swiss authorities indicated that if Italy fails to follow through on its written commitment, Switzerland will intervene again in Brussels and Rome.

The timing of Rome's commitment coincides with an upcoming semi-annual report from the European Commission regarding the implementation of the new EU Asylum and Migration Pact. The pact provides financial assistance and relief measures to frontline countries like Italy, provided they fulfill their obligations under European migration rules.

Since late 2022, under the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy had suspended accepting asylum transfers, affecting 4,036 individuals from Switzerland. Because transfer deadlines expired during the refusal, Switzerland was forced to process their claims locally, eventually granting protection to nearly half of them. Swiss authorities are now focusing upcoming transfer preparations on cases submitted after mid-June of this year, in line with conditions communicated by Italian authorities to other European states.

Written by Thorben Thiede thorben.thiede@alpineweekly.com