Italy all set to introduce fingerprinting of migrants

Italy is to introduce the fingerprinting of migrants crossing the Mediterranean as soon as they are picked up by rescue boats, officials say.

The move could help to reduce mounting tensions between Italy and its EU partners over the large numbers of migrants who arrive in Italy but are not registered here and then travel on to northern Europe.

If they are not registered in Italy, neighbouring countries like Austria and France and popular destination states like Germany and Sweden do not have the option of sending them back to Italy.

In theory they should be able to do this under the EU’s Dublin convention rules governing asylum claims.

The Italian move follows talks on Wednesday between interior minister Angelo Alfano and EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos in Sicily, where most migrants arrive and are processed at “hotspot” reception centres.

“With this we will now have hotspots at sea,” Mr Alfano said.

Italy and Austria were set for showdown talks Thursday as Italian politicians and media reacted furiously to Vienna’s new anti-migrant measures that could close the border between the two countries.

Austrian interior minister Wolfgang Sobotka, who has vigorously defended the controversial package which was driven by a surge of the far right, was due in Rome to explain his government’s plans to Italian counterpart Alfano.

Meanwhile, European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans said Thursday, Greece is making an “incredible” effort to tackle the EU’s migration crisis following a controversial deal with Turkey.

The assessment comes two weeks before the commission is due to give its verdict on whether Greece has done enough to protect the external borders of the EU’s Schengen passport-free area.

“I have to say here that Greece is making an incredible effort, and I really want to command the cooperation we have as the Commission with the Greek authorities to deal with this issue,” Mr Timmermans told the European Parliament.

“With all the problems we have, I think this cooperation is of a quality we had never seen before and also the cooperation between Greece and Turkey is something to build on also on other areas,” Mr Timmermans said.