Italy Faces Pressure Over Asylum Seekers as EU Neighbors Plan Returns

Several European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Ireland, have announced their intention to resume sending asylum seekers back to Italy. These individuals initially entered the EU through Italy and applied for asylum elsewhere. The move comes as Italy, under the Giorgia Meloni government, has been refusing to accept transfers due to alleged lack of accommodation structures since 2022. The new European Pact on Migration and Asylum, implemented in June 2026, has made it clearer who is responsible for first entry countries, making it harder for Italy to ignore transfer requests. Italy's suspension of the Schengen treaty with Spain over migrant entries into Ceuta has also drawn criticism from its neighbors.