The Netherlands announced that it will return rejected asylum seekers to Italy for the first time since Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stopped accepting migrants returned by other European countries about three years ago. Sweden, Finland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland also announced that they will resume returning migrants to Italy, and the first returns have already begun in some countries.
A spokesman for Dutch Asylum and Immigration Minister Bart van den Brink said on Friday that the Netherlands would begin returning some asylum seekers to Italy, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
Italy faces criticism over 'bounce effect'«
The move drew criticism from Italian opposition politicians, who accused Meloni's government of causing what they called a "bounce effect" after Italy suspended cooperation under the Schengen Agreement with Spain over the influx of migrants to Ceuta.
Giuseppe Conte, the former Italian prime minister and leader of the Five Star Movement, wrote on the X platform that Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Finland are now «in line» to take back migrants who were registered in Italy.
Conte added, criticizing Meloni's government, that what he called Meloni's "masterpiece" made the return of migrants possible, but "only against us.".
Meloni refuses to link her decision to European actions
Georgia Meloni rejected any link between the decision to suspend cooperation with Spain within Schengen and the current move by European countries to return migrants to Italy.
Meloni said in a Facebook post on Friday that Italy did not passively accept everything that other countries had asked of it, and that what she described as the government's "firmness" enabled Italy to take this position.
These developments come as the European Pact on Migration and Asylum entered into force on June 12, 2026, following the end of a two-year transition period. The Pact aims to establish more uniform European rules on managing migration and asylum and sharing responsibility among member states.
The Netherlands operates on the Dublin rules.
The Dutch government intends to return asylum seekers who crossed the EU's external borders through Italy and then continued their journey north to other European countries, in violation of EU rules regarding determining which country is responsible for an asylum application.
The Dublin rules state that the European country responsible for an asylum application can be the country the asylum seeker first entered, allowing in certain cases for them to be returned to it if they move to another European country.
But Georgia Meloni announced, shortly after being elected Prime Minister at the end of 2022, that she would stop accepting all returns under the Dublin system.
Jonas Bornemann, a lecturer in European migration law at the University of Groningen, described the Italian decision as "clearly illegal".
The new European rules also emphasize accelerating the handling of cases of unauthorized movement of asylum seekers between member states, including their transfer to the country responsible for their applications.
Italy received thousands of requests but returned only 85 migrants.
Data from the European statistics office Eurostat showed that Italy received more than 24,000 requests from other European countries to take in migrants during 2025, the largest number among all EU countries.
However, only 85 migrants were returned to Italy during the same year, according to data reported by the DR website.
These figures indicate the extent of the discrepancy between European rules regarding the determination of the country responsible for asylum seekers and the application of those rules on the ground.
The new migration pact reopens the door to returns.
New reforms to European immigration law have given several countries hope of resuming the return of asylum seekers to Italy, according to ANSA.
Victoria Holmqvist, a spokeswoman for the Swedish Ministry of Migration, said that the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which came into effect on June 12, has made transfers between countries easier.
The new pact establishes a unified European framework for managing migration and asylum, and includes clearer rules on responsibility for asylum applications, as well as solidarity mechanisms to help countries facing significant pressure due to the arrival of migrants.
Financial compensation of up to 20,000 euros for asylum seekers
According to the report, the new rules allow countries on the EU's external borders to claim financial compensation of around 20,000 euros, equivalent to about 150,000 Danish kroner, for each asylum seeker who cannot be transferred to another European country.
This mechanism is part of the new European solidarity system, which aims to distribute responsibility for dealing with migration pressures more fairly among member states.
The European Commission explains that the new system includes a permanent, binding and flexible solidarity mechanism, which can include the transfer of asylum seekers or the provision of financial contributions or other forms of support to countries facing migration pressures.
The dispute between Germany and Italy is escalating.
Despite the new changes, Yunus Bornemann does not believe that the new European solidarity mechanisms will necessarily be sufficient to push Italy to end its suspension of receiving returns.
Italy and Germany are currently experiencing a diplomatic dispute following the Meloni government's refusal to accept a 22-year-old Somali woman who was scheduled to be returned to Italy in August.
According to the report, the Italian Interior Minister states that Italy is only obligated to receive migrants who arrived in Europe after June 12, the date on which the European Pact on Migration and Asylum came into force.
The European Commission notes that the new rules have been applicable in all EU countries since June 12, 2026, with member states continuing to adapt their procedures and systems in practice to the new reforms.
Italy wants to count rescues at sea
The dispute between Rome and Berlin was not limited to the return of asylum seekers.
The Italian government also said that migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by German NGOs and taken to Italian ports should be counted towards the number of migrants Italy is supposed to receive from Germany.
According to the report, Rome wants the landings of migrants arriving in Italy after maritime rescue operations to be taken into account when determining Italy’s obligations within the European solidarity and responsibility-sharing mechanisms.
Expert: Meloni has a political motive to continue refusing
Yunus Bornemann believes that Italy does not have, legally, the right to refuse receptions that are carried out under the Dublin rules.
But at the same time, he believes that Georgia Meloni has a political interest in continuing to suspend reception operations.
Bournemann said there appeared to be a "political motive" behind the Italian government's stance, namely that Italy does not accept the return of migrants, regardless of what EU laws stipulate.
The expert predicted that the dispute over returns under the Dublin system would continue for a long time, noting that the disagreement might eventually end, at most, in court in a lawsuit between Italy and other European countries.
The European Union is monitoring the implementation of the new rules.
The European Commission confirmed in a preliminary assessment issued in July 2026 that it is monitoring the implementation of the new responsibility rules following the entry into force of the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
The Commission said that member states have made significant progress in implementing the pact, including their ability to handle the transfer of responsibility for asylum claims.
She added that the measures taken by Italy demonstrate important efforts to prepare for the implementation of the new rules, but at the same time she pointed to the need to take concrete steps to ensure that transfers are carried out effectively.
A new European system to expedite the return of those who do not have the right to remain.
This dispute coincided with a separate European agreement on new rules aimed at making the return of people who do not have a legal right to remain within the European Union faster and more effective.
In June, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a common European return system, which includes uniform procedures and a European return order, as well as mechanisms for recognizing return decisions issued by another member state.
The new rules also include stricter procedures in cases of non-cooperation or relocation to another member state, as well as the possibility of establishing return centers in countries outside the European Union, provided that human rights, international law and the principle of non-refoulement are respected.
The European Commission affirms that the return policy must respect fundamental rights, the right of access to asylum procedures, and the principle of non-refoulement, and that return decisions must be based on an individual assessment with the possibility of judicial appeal.
Denmark has not yet made a decision.
DR contacted the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration (Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet) to ask whether Denmark intends to resume returning migrants to Italy under the Dublin system.
However, the ministry was unable to respond to the website's inquiry by the time the report was published.
Denmark’s position on resuming repatriation operations to Italy remains unannounced, at a time when several European countries, including Germany, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands, have begun to move again on this issue.
Recent developments reveal a new test for the rules governing the distribution of responsibility for asylum seekers within the European Union, as the new Pact on Migration and Asylum comes into force and member states attempt to move from previous rules to a more binding and coordinated European system.
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