Germany has agreed to take in hundreds of migrants who are blocked in Italy in a move that might revive the European Union's failed relocation program, Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on August 23.
As part of a deal to relieve pressure on Europe's frontline states in the migration crisis, the European Commission last year devised a plan aimed at moving thousands of new arrivals away from Italy and Greece towards other EU members.
Under the scheme, up to 40,000 migrants could be relocated from Italy over two years, but so far only a few hundred have been flown out with many EU allies apparently reluctant to welcome in asylum seekers and refugees.
"Up until now, the relocation has been a real flop," Alfano told la Repubblica TV.
"(But) today we have heard that from September hundreds of refugees will be able to go each month to Germany. If things go well with Germany, we think they will also go well with other countries," he added.
Italy has taken in more than 420,000 boat migrants since the start of 2014, official figures show.
Many of the newcomers move swiftly on, looking to reach wealthier northern European nations, but a crackdown on border crossings has slowed the flows, leading to overcrowding in Italy's transit camps and refugee centers.
