Brussels, 03/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 3 July the European Commission denied that it intended to open infringement proceedings against Italy for not taking the fingerprints of asylum seekers, following press reports on this alleged failure.
Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, responsible for justice and home affairs, was in Rome on 3 July to meet her counterpart, Angelino Alfano, for the start of the Italian presidency of the EU. The commissioner is, however, looking at possible incidents, whereby member states do not register refugees transiting their territory in the Eurodac database, so that they are not obliged to take them in afterwards, as demanded by the Dublin regulation. The spokesperson for the commissioner explained that “the Commission is studying this question, given that certain member states have expressed their concerns in this regard”. A spokesperson said that the Commissioner did not have, however, any intention of launching proceedings against Italy. At the end of June, the Commission proposed granting Italy a further €4 million to help it address the increasing numbers of immigrants and has already sent Italy reasoned opinions with regard to asylum related matters (e.g. directives on the conditions required to obtain international protection) but does not currently envisage any other procedures, insisted the spokesperson. (SP)