Germany Halts Migrant Intake From Italy

Germany has announced that it is temporarily suspending its intake of migrants from Italy as part of a European voluntary solidarity plan. This decision could potentially trigger a new dispute over asylum seekers within the European Union (EU). The voluntary scheme was designed to relieve the pressure on EU border nations, which often serve as the first point of entry for migrants. Germany had committed to receiving 3,500 asylum seekers who had initially sought refuge in Italy. However, with only 1,700 having reached Germany, Berlin has decided to halt the intake. A spokesperson for Germany's interior ministry cited the "currently high migratory pressure on Germany" as a reason for the suspension, coupled with the ongoing halt of Dublin transfers by some EU member states, including Italy. The Dublin procedure requires irregular migrants to be registered in the first EU country they enter, and if they move on to another EU nation, they could be returned to their initial point of entry. Mediterranean countries like Italy have argued that these rules place an excessive burden on border nations, particularly when new arrivals wish to relocate to other EU countries. Germany, which received over a million asylum seekers, primarily from Syria and Iraq, between 2015 and 2016, witnessed a sharp decline in arrivals afterward. However, authorities have recently recorded a significant uptick in arrivals, with 15,100 irregular migrants arriving in August, a 40 percent increase from July's figure of 10,714. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose far-right party came to power a year ago pledging to curb mass migration, expressed no surprise over Germany's decision. Italy temporarily suspended the Dublin rules in December, citing overwhelmed reception centers. She emphasized the pressing issue was halting arrivals in Italy and called for more EU assistance, given that Italian hotspots are already at full capacity. The number of migrants arriving in Italy after crossing from North Africa has surged this year, reaching almost 124,000 since January, up from 65,500 during the same period in 2022. The situation has raised concerns, particularly on the island of Lampedusa, where the reception center has warned of reaching critical capacity levels.