Switzerland says Italy is still refusing Dublin asylum transfers

Italy has taken back no asylum seekers from Switzerland under the Dublin system, despite an announcement that transfers would resume in August. Justice Minister Beat Jans told reporters on Friday, September 19, that Rome had not yet accepted any of the cases covered by the arrangement.\n\nThe dispute places Switzerland inside a wider European conflict over responsibility for asylum applications. The Dublin rules generally assign responsibility to the European country where an asylum seeker first entered. Italy is a major arrival point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, and countries further north have sought to return people who travelled onward after entering Italian territory.\n\nSwitzerland is outside the European Union but participates in the Dublin system through its agreements with the bloc. Its federal government had expected Italy to cooperate after announcing a limited resumption of returns, initially involving individual cases. That expectation has not been fulfilled.\n\nJans said Italy was breaching Europe's common rules. The Swiss government now faces a familiar operational problem: it can identify cases for transfer, yet cannot complete the procedure without cooperation from the receiving country.

Switzerland can return up to 15 irregular migrants a day under a separate bilateral agreement with Italy, and Jans said Rome is complying with that arrangement. The distinction between the two systems is now central to the dispute.\n\nThe bilateral agreement covers irregular migration returns. Dublin transfers concern asylum seekers whose applications Switzerland believes should be handled by another participating state, usually because that state was responsible for their entry into Europe. The procedures have different legal foundations and practical consequences.\n\nJans said dialogue with Italy was continuing “step by step”. The Federal Department of Justice and Police has not indicated that Switzerland will abandon its Dublin claims. State Secretary for Migration Vincenzo Mascioli described the situation as “unsatisfactory” and said he expected Italy to resume readmissions under the new European Union pact.\n\nFor Swiss authorities, the gap creates uncertainty in case management. Officials must continue assessing responsibility, gathering documentation and preparing decisions while the transfer channel remains closed. The bilateral route offers a functioning alternative for some cases, but it does not replace Dublin cooperation. Its 15-person daily limit also sets a clear ceiling on the separate return process.

Italy has refused Dublin readmissions since December 2022, according to the report, after Giorgia Meloni became prime minister. The suspension has affected several European countries that want to transfer asylum seekers who entered the European system through Italy.\n\nGermany, Austria, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands are also seeking returns to Italy. Their involvement shows that Switzerland's difficulty is part of a broader dispute over how the European asylum system shares responsibility between first-entry countries and states further north.\n\nMeloni has defended Italy's migration policy while arguing that the new EU Asylum and Migration Pact offers a positive turning point. The rules entered into force in June, and the Italian prime minister has said her country could benefit from them. Mascioli expects the pact to help restore readmissions, although Switzerland has yet to see that change on the ground.\n\nThe disagreement also exposes Switzerland's delicate position. Bern relies on European cooperation for migration procedures while remaining outside the EU's political institutions. Swiss officials can press their Italian counterparts through bilateral channels, but the final outcome depends on decisions taken in Rome and within the wider European framework.

An EU interim report expected in October will examine cooperation between member states, offering the next formal test of whether the new asylum pact can resolve the dispute. Switzerland will watch the review closely, even though it is not an EU member, because its Dublin participation links Swiss asylum procedures to the bloc's enforcement capacity.\n\nUntil then, Swiss officials will continue talks with Italy. Jans said the relationship remained difficult, while Mascioli expressed hope that Italy would resume readmissions under the new rules. Neither official announced a timetable for the first Dublin transfer.\n\nThe practical impact will be felt in Swiss asylum centres, cantonal administrations and federal migration offices. When a transfer cannot take place, authorities must manage the case in Switzerland for longer or pursue another lawful route. The source report gives no national figure for the number of pending Italy-related cases, so the scale of the backlog remains unclear.\n\nThe immediate Swiss position is therefore cautious. Bern has announced a resumption, prepared for individual cases and kept diplomatic channels open. Rome has not yet accepted a single asylum seeker through that route. The October review may clarify whether the EU pact can turn political commitments into functioning procedures.