Switzerland urges implementation of refugee deal, Italy admits overload

Swiss Justice Minister Baume-Schneider will meet Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi in Rome on May 31 to discuss Italy's refusal to take back refugees under the Dublin agreement.

Italy says it no longer has the capacity to handle the large number of refugees crossing the Mediterranean. Pictured: A boat carrying migrants arrives at a temporary reception facility on the Italian island of Lampedusa. (Source: AFP)

The Schweiz am Wochenende newspaper quoted Minister Baume-Schneider's interview as saying that she did not rule out the possibility of Switzerland suspending the implementation of the agreement, while emphasizing that "the situation in the southern region of Italy is very complicated".

Late last year, Italy announced it would temporarily stop accepting refugees who first arrived in the country. The announcement stated that Italy no longer had the capacity to handle the large number of refugees crossing the Mediterranean. According to Ms. Baume-Schneider, Switzerland strongly expects Italy to respect the Dublin agreement. She also mentioned the possibility of Switzerland providing financial support for immigration projects in Italy.

In March, Switzerland signed a joint declaration with the Schengen area countries on reforming asylum rules. At the time, Minister Baume-Schneider noted that only one-third of refugees were transferred to their first host country under the Dublin agreement.

Regarding the above issue, on May 27, the organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced that the Geo Barents ship operated by MSF had rescued nearly 600 migrants on an overloaded boat that had encountered trouble off the coast of Sicily, Italy.

MSF said in a statement on Twitter that the Geo Barents ship had rescued 599 people, including women and children, during a training exercise. The migrants will be disembarked in the southern Italian port of Bari as directed by the Italian authorities. MSF added that the Geo Barents ship would take around 40 hours to reach Bari.

Figures from the Italian Interior Ministry show that 47,000 migrants have arrived in the country by boat so far this year, compared with around 18,000 in the same period in 2022.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thuy-sy-hoi-thuc-thuc-thi-thoa-thuan-ve-tiep-nhan-nguoi-ti-nan-italy-thua-nhan-qua-tai-228837.html