After almost four years of suspension, Switzerland is resuming transfers to Italy of asylum seekers who arrived from our country. “The first flights have been booked,” confirms Magdalena Baker, spokesperson for the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), to Swiss-German TV, explaining that the process will restart at the end of August and for now only isolated cases are involved.
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The SEM has agreed with the Italian authorities on a gradual resumption: in the interest of both parties, Baker specifies, that the system works “in a sustainable way” and is not overloaded.
The new Pact
The suspension dates back to December 2022, when Italy, shortly after the Meloni Government took office, suspended all readmissions of asylum seekers. Italy’s willingness to resume them, currently only partial, is linked to the new European Pact on migration and asylum, in force since June 12, which provides financial support and other reliefs for Italy and other first arrival countries, but conditioned on compliance with the obligations provided.
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Rome intends to readmit only asylum seekers who arrived after that date: for this reason, the first repatriations agreed with Bern concern cases after June 12. “The new procedures must first be tested based on current cases,” explains Baker, specifying that there is no agreement with Italy excluding from repatriation those who arrived before June 12: the issue remains open.
The German front and the Somali asylum seeker
Germany is moving along the same line, dealing with a case that already has a face. “I am very happy to be safe.” This is what the Somali girl, whom Germany was supposed to send back to Italy, said to Ansa, through the words of Matteo, president of the evangelical association that takes care of her.
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