Italy’s hard-line stance on secondary movements in the EU sharpened on 17 July, when the Meloni government confirmed it had **rejected all 12 formal requests from Germany to take back asylum-seekers** who first entered the Union through Italian territory. The requests were submitted under the new Common European Asylum System (CEAS), in force since 12 June, which obliges the Member State of first entry to accept returns within two weeks. According to press reports citing an unpublished European Commission review, Rome has **simply left the German files unanswered**, failing even to propose alternative transfer dates. Cyprus and Spain, by contrast, complied with similar requests. Commission officials have privately warned that systematic non-co-operation could trigger infringement proceedings and the temporary suspension of EU funding lines tied to migration management. The impasse resurrects a long-running dispute over the so-called Dublin principle, which many frontline states see as unfairly shifting responsibility onto them. Germany’s interior ministry claimed last December that it had a political understanding with Italy on returns, but Berlin has so far refrained from publicly criticising Rome’s about-face. For business travellers and corporate mobility managers the confrontation matters because **any paralysis in the relocation mechanism increases pressure on Italy’s reception system**, strains cross-border policing resources and heightens the likelihood of ad-hoc border checks inside Schengen—already re-introduced by France and Austria in recent years. Companies moving staff across the EU should therefore monitor potential slow-downs at Italian land and air borders and build in extra time for document inspections. Looking ahead, the dispute will dominate the 1–2 October Justice and Home Affairs Council, where ministers must adopt **implementing acts detailing the CEAS transfer procedure**. Unless Italy signals a change of heart, expect a fractious debate and renewed calls for financial penalties on non-compliant states.
Source: The European Conservative
