Finland and Sweden, like Germany, Switzerland and Austria: ‘Transfer of Dublin cases to Italia’. Paris and Madrid: no

“The backlash against Giorgia Meloni’s propaganda stunt of suspending the Schengen Agreement against Spain has been spectacular. And so, hot on the heels of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Finland and Sweden have also declared that they are resuming the return to Italia of migrants who entered Europe via our country.” This is according to PD secretary Elly Schlein. “When I said that, with regard to Ceuta, Meloni had set a dangerous precedent for Europe – but above all for Italia – this is exactly what I meant. What makes matters worse is that, due to her blind ideology, Meloni has never fought the most important battle in Brussels in the national interest: that concerning European solidarity, including on the issue of reception.”

“The pointless and damaging spectacle over Ceuta and the decisions regarding migrants have caused quite a backlash: following the government’s bombastic propaganda against Spain, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Finland are now queuing up to send back to Italia the migrants we have registered. A masterpiece by Meloni: repatriations work – but against us.” This was posted on social media by the president of the M5S, Giuseppe Conte.

For the time being, “France’s political decision is not to join the countries” that are sending migrants back to Italia under the new rules. ANSA has learnt this from informed sources in Paris. The sources add that, on France’s part, “in any case, there will be no announcement” of the sort made today by Finland and Sweden “as long as there remains a phase of cooperation and rapprochement with Italia”, with which Paris “shares the desire to work towards reducing the flows of migrants leaving Tunisia and Libya”.

The Spanish government “is ‘in favour’ of addressing the issue of so-called ‘Dublin cases’ through the European solidarity mechanisms set out in the European Pact on Migration and Asylum and recent European Union legislation, ‘rather than resorting to expulsions or isolated bilateral restrictions’.” This was reported to ANSA by sources at the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. Madrid’s stance comes as Sweden and Finland prepare – following in the footsteps of Germany, Austria and Switzerland – to transfer asylum seekers who have arrived in Italia to those countries, invoking precisely the new rules of the Pact.