- Italy has rejected three asylum transfers from Germany, marking a significant early challenge to the new E-U migration framework.
- Matteo Salvini demands an end to German NGO rescue ships bringing migrants to Italian ports before accepting any returns.
- The Italian government is requesting financial compensation to cover costs associated with managing secondary migration from other member states.
Italy has rejected Germany's planned transfer of three asylum seekers who first entered the European Union through Italy, opening a dispute over how the bloc's new asylum system will operate. The cases were scheduled for August 17, 19, and 20, 2026.
Italy's Interior Ministry told Berlin it would not accept the cases. Rome has also indicated that it could refuse to let the people enter Italy and send them back to Germany instead.
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The dispute centers on secondary migration, meaning people who enter the EU through one country before applying for asylum in another. Germany wants to return the three applicants to the country it considers their first point of entry.
The new EU asylum and migration pact entered into application on June 12, 2026. These were among the first cases testing Germany's attempt to restart transfers under that framework.
Matteo Salvini, Italy's Vice-Head of Government and transport minister, set out Rome's political position at a party meeting in Trient. He said Italy should not receive returns while German nongovernmental rescue ships continue operating in the Mediterranean.
“Deutschland hat kein Recht, uns auch nur einen einzigen illegalen Einwanderer zurückzuschicken, solange deutsche NGO-Schiffe im Mittelmeer unterwegs sind, um Tausende illegaler Einwanderer in Italien und Europa an Land zu bringen.”
Salvini also called on Berlin and Madrid to rein in German NGO ships that bring rescued migrants to Italian ports. Italy has claimed those vessels brought about 22,500 migrants ashore since 2022.
Rome ties returns to money and rescue ships
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has attached a financial condition to cooperation. He said Italy wants compensation before discussing returns under the new rules, linking the demand to the cost of caring for migrants brought to Italy by German-linked rescue activity.
The government has presented the transfer dispute as part of a wider burden-sharing problem. It says Italy has already rejected about 80,000 return requests from other states since 2023.
The three cases give the standoff names and dates.
| Person | Nationality | Planned transfer |
|---|---|---|
| Rania Darezh | Iraqi | August 17, 2026 |
| Abdirisaq Warsame Faduma | Somali | August 19, 2026 |
| Hotak Samir | Afghan | August 20, 2026 |
One planned transfer involving a Somali woman on August 19 did not take place. The cases were identified as the first people Germany sought to send to Italy under the new system.
Germany's approach relies on returning asylum seekers to the first EU country of entry. In these cases, German authorities regard that country as Italy, while Rome has rejected the requested transfers.
The disagreement now includes the question of physical entry. Italy has signaled that it may not allow the affected people into the country, creating the prospect of their return to Germany rather than reception in Italy.
The government in Rome has used the same argument against the rescue vessels. Salvini says Italy should not accept people returned by Germany while German NGO ships continue bringing migrants from the Mediterranean to Italian shores.
The first three cases therefore carry a broader test than their numbers suggest. They will show whether Germany can use the new EU framework to secure transfers when Italy refuses both the requests and, potentially, entry to the country.
The planned transfers fell within August 2026, the pact's first period of application. Rome's refusal has placed the next step in the dispute between the German and Italian governments.
