Sertan Sanderson

Italy and Germany continue to be caught up in a diplomatic spat over the issue of returning irregular migrants under EU rules. As talks continue, some members of the Italian government have raised the issue of migrants rescued at sea by private NGOs operating under the German flag, linking it to broader exchanges with Berlin.

On Crete, four minors have been arrested on suspicion of navigating small boats from Libya to the southern Greek island. In its efforts to curb irregular migration, Greece appears to be turning to increasingly restrictive policies, including plans to outsource parts of its asylum procedures to third countries. Meanwhile, the European Union also seems to be engaging in divisive schemes to get a handle on irregular arrivals, including a planned cooperation deal with the breakaway administration of eastern Libya.

Ireland has processed just over 1,100 asylum applications using a new screening system introduced as part of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. The application of the new laws across the bloc is designed to create stronger controls at the EU's external borders while accelerating asylum processing times. Ireland is one of the countries where the new systems were first rolled out in a pilot scheme.

Germany has notified the European Commission that it intends to extend border checks by another six months. This would mean that the current controls could remain in place until mid-March 2027 — if approved by Brussels. The Commission, however, has voiced its hesitation.

In the UK, the Home Office has issued a behavioral guidance document for asylum seekers, which has garnered mixed reactions. While some British media have viewed the booklet as "bizarre" and misleading, other sources have taken a different approach, suggesting that it allegedly proves an existing link between migrants and crime. Scientific studies caution that such correlations need to be treated with nuance and care.

Austria has started to send back certain asylum seekers to Italy, according to media reports. The four cases returned to Italy all involve asylum seekers who had already filed asylum claims in Italy before moving on to Austria to lodge another claim. Under the EU's Dublin Regulation, Italy was considered responsible for examining their claims.

Dozens of migrants arrived or were rescued near Crete on August 20 and 21. The complete tally of people reaching Greece irregularly in those 24 hours is estimated to be well over 200, with some reports placing that number closer to 300. The island of Crete remains a key destination, with most of those making the journey departing from Libya.

Finland has announced plans to resume transfers of certain asylum seekers to Italy under a new EU-wide mechanism, becoming the latest European country to do so after Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Sweden has also been sending people to Italy while operating under the previous EU rules governing such transfers. Meanwhile, Spain has expressed its views on how such transfers should be executed, joining Italy in criticizing one-sided approaches.

Overall attitudes on migration have turned somewhat unwelcoming in the UK in recent years, as thousands of irregular migrants continue to make weekly headlines, arriving on the shores of Kent and other nearby countries. But one village in Scotland is taking a different approach: Greenock has decided that migrants -- rather than being a problem -- are part of a solution to a problem that is soon going to grip much of the region: depopulation.

Police in the Netherlands have launched investigations into a fire at a future asylum reception center in the southern Brabant province. Authorities believe that it could likely be a case of arson amid a series of similar attacks.