Italy seeks changes in EU asylum rules

PARIS, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Italy says it wants other European nations to help with the burden of processing requests from incoming asylum-seekers.

Because Italy is at the border of the European Union, it receives far more applications from asylum-seekers and is bound under EU rules to process them to discourage applicants from "shopping around" Europe for the best asylum deal. But Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said Tuesday those rules should be changed, the news agency ANSA reported.

Speaking in Paris at a summit of EU ministers, he said: "Italy and other border countries cannot be the ones bearing all the burden and all the costs of those who want to come and live in Europe, not necessarily even in Italy."

The asylum rules are part of the EU's Dublin Convention. ANSA said Maroni urged the EU ministers to agree on common rules that would ease the burden currently borne by border states.

The summit has been called to discuss proposals from the European Commission to amend the Dublin rules, the news agency reported.