Vienna, 20 August 2026
Austria has sent asylum seekers who had already been registered in another EU state back to Italy under the Dublin rules.
Dublin procedure as the basis
According to the APA news agency, Austria is transferring so-called Dublin cases back to Italy. These are people who first arrived in one EU country and then traveled on to another member state in order to lodge an asylum application there.
"Dublin cases" refers to people who first arrived in one EU country and then traveled on to another member state in order to lodge an asylum application there.
According to the report, the transfers were carried out using public transport.
The Dublin procedures regulate within the EU which member state is responsible for examining an asylum application. As a rule, this is the country of first entry. If a person has been registered in Italy, for example, and then applies in Austria, Austria can request a transfer to Italy.
Italy's role as a first-reception country
Austria and Italy have maintained bilateral contacts on migration issues for some time. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had repeatedly called for a more consistent application of the Dublin rules by other EU states, also highlighting cooperation with Vienna in this context.
According to the report, the people who were sent back had previously been registered as asylum seekers in Italy. Once another EU state takes over the application, the procedure in Austria is suspended and the individuals concerned are transferred to the responsible state, where the asylum procedure continues.
According to Eurostat, Italy has been among the countries with the highest number of first applications for international protection in the EU in recent years. The authorities there register arrivals at the external borders and often also issue documents that document further stay in the EU.
Reactions and open questions
These documents play a central role in Dublin procedures: if an asylum seeker shows traces of a previous stay in another EU state – such as fingerprints in the Eurodac database or issued documents – that state is considered responsible.
Germany and Switzerland are also mentioned in the report as transit or destination countries in the context of European migration movements. Both countries also apply the Dublin responsibility rules, insofar as they are considered Dublin-associated states or have concluded comparable bilateral agreements.
The Austrian government had announced on several occasions in recent months that it would tighten the application of the Dublin rules and carry out transfers more consistently. The current transfers back to Italy are described as part of this approach.
APA also reports that the Austrian authorities informed those affected about the procedure and their rights prior to the transfer. According to the information, legal representation was available, and the costs of the journey by public transport were covered by the Republic.
Critics raise the question of whether asylum seekers are adequately cared for in Italy and whether the reception system there meets the needs of those affected. Supporters, on the other hand, see the consistent application of the Dublin rules as a means of avoiding multiple proceedings and strengthening the common European asylum system.
It remains unclear how many people are affected by the recent transfers in total. The Austrian authorities and APA are not providing any specific information on this. Nor is there any detailed information available about the nationalities of those affected.