ICERAS

Italy – On Wednesday, 21 October, an IOM charter flight left Rome’s Ciampino Airport for Finland and Sweden. On board were 68 asylum seekers – 19 from Syria and 49 from Eritrea.

Members of IOM’s team in Rome accompanied the asylum seekers on the flight and monitored the disembarkation of the Eritreans in Finland. The 19 Syrians then disembarked in Sweden. IOM also monitored their transfer from Villa Sikania, a relocation centre in Sicily, to a reception centre in Rome, where they were processed.

In both Finland and Sweden the asylum seekers were taken to reception centres, where they will be staying for approximately 24 hours before being moved to host communities.

The 68 asylum seekers were relocated from Italy to Sweden and Finland under a new European Union (EU) relocation programme after arriving in Italy by sea over the past few weeks.

They agreed to relocate on learning about the programme from Italian authorities and European Asylum Support Office (EASO) officers working in Lampedusa, whose reception centre has become the first “hotspot” in Italy. readmore