EU asylum system paralyzed: Italy rejects migrants returned from Germany

The disagreement between Italy and Germany over the fate of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean is deepening, TodayPress TV reports, citing DW, which cited the dpa news agency.

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said that, despite the rules of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), his country would not accept migrants returned from Germany to Italy as long as vessels operated by German humanitarian organizations continued rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean.

“Germany has no right to send us any illegal migrants as long as ships operated by German NGOs are sailing in the Mediterranean and bringing thousands of illegal migrants to Italy and Europe,” Der Spiegel quoted Salvini, who is also leader of the right-wing Lega party, as saying.

According to Rome, German NGO vessels have rescued 2,200 migrants in the Mediterranean and brought them to Italian ports since the beginning of this year alone. Some of them subsequently left Italy for other European Union countries, including Germany.

It should be noted that the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) entered into force in June. Under the system, Germany and other EU countries are allowed, in accordance with the Dublin Agreement, to return to Italy migrants who reached the Italian coast and entered EU territory. Nevertheless, since the CEAS came into force, Italy has so far not accepted any migrants returned from Germany.

Giymat Mahir