World Immigration News

(euronews)Sweden plans to send migrants to Italy, France and Spain reject Dublin transfers

Release Date: 2026-08-21
Media: euronews
Summary: Sweden has joined Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Finland in planning to return asylum seekers to Italy under the EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum, which took effect on 12 June. Under the Dublin system, asylum seekers are generally required to apply in the first EU country they enter.

Eurostat data show that Italy received 109,427 transfer requests between 2023 and 2025. In 2025 alone, it received more than 24,000 requests, the highest number in the EU. Around 10,000 requests remain pending, including thousands from Switzerland, Belgium, Austria and Finland.

Italy has largely suspended Dublin transfers since late 2022, but EU institutions maintain that member states cannot simply refuse transfers. The new Pact extends the period during which the first-entry country remains responsible for an asylum claim from 12 to 20 months and aims to process most applications within 12 weeks.

France and Spain are taking a different approach. Rather than sending migrants back to Italy individually, they favour broader EU solidarity mechanisms and cooperation to reduce arrivals from North Africa.

The issue has also become politically controversial in Italy. Opposition parties argue that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hardline migration policy is producing a “boomerang,” with other European states now seeking to return migrants to Italy. The government, however, says the number of actual transfers will remain limited under the new system.
Tags: Europe

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