Berlin, 13 September 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Germany has suspended a programme for the voluntary admission of migrants from Italy, the Interior Ministry in Berlin confirmed to dpa on Wednesday.

Originally, Germany had agreed to take 3,500 asylum seekers from countries along the European Union's southern external border, which have seen by far the largest number of migrant arrivals.

So far, 1,700 protection seekers have been transferred via the EU's Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism to have their applications for asylum processed in Germany.

The EU-wide migrant relocation system was launched in 2022 as pressure on Mediterranean EU nations like Italy and Greece grew due to more and more asylum-seekers arriving on their shores.

The scheme comes amid broader political fights over the EU's response to the life-threatening boat journeys taken by the migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

But the ministry said Germany now plans to halt additional admissions under the mechanism, in part because Italy and other southern European countries have been reluctant to accept the return of migrants under the EU's so-called Dublin rules.

The rules stipulate that asylum seekers must file their claims in the first EU country in which they are registered, with only limited exceptions. Asylum seekers who nonetheless try to file applications elsewhere in the EU, often in wealthier northern countries like Germany, can be sent back under the Dublin rules.

"In view of the existing high migration pressure to Germany, the continued suspension of Dublin transfers by some member states, including Italy, reinforces the major challenges Germany is currently facing with regard to its reception and accommodation capacities," a ministry spokesman explained.

Through the end of August, Italy had only accepted 10 so-called Dublin transfers from Germany. The German government has informed Rome that the migrant selection process would be postponed, the Interior Ministry spokesman said.

Photo: MIA archive