Dutch court says migrants risk abuse in Italy

The Dutch State Council, citing a letter issued by Rome in December, said: “Italian authorities themselves have indicated that transfers to Italy are not possible due to the lack of reception facilities.”

Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced a ‘pause’ of the so-called ‘Dublin deportation’. This is a system of asylum rules that requires immigrants to be processed by the first country to arrive in the European Union.

The Dutch Supreme Administrative Court’s ruling rejected two previous asylum seekers seeking entry into the Netherlands on the grounds that, under the Dublin system, they should have been accepted by Italy, who entered Europe first. overturned the judgment.

“There is a real risk, beyond their will and choice, that foreigners will find themselves in very grave situations of abuse when they are transferred to Italy,” the court said.

Migrants could be left “unable to meet basic needs such as housing, food and water,” the paper continued.

Nigerian citizens born in 1990 applied for asylum in Italy, Switzerland and Austria between 2014 and 2019, according to a ruling obtained by AFP.

The asylum seeker submitted an application to the Netherlands on 2 July 2002, which was rejected by the Dublin system on 9 December.

Another case is an Eritrean citizen born in 2006 who entered the EU via Italy on 28 January 2022. The individual filed an application for asylum in the Netherlands in March, which was again rejected under Dublin rules in November. .

The applicant appealed this decision to the State Council.

Many European countries, such as the Netherlands, have asked Italy to comply with Dublin’s rules.