The State Secretariat for MigrationExternal link received 6,113 such requests in 2017, reported newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. In comparison, there were 4,115 in 2016 and 3,072 in 2015.
According to the Dublin agreement, a person can file only one asylum application – as a rule, in the first country where the migrant was registered.
Most of 2017’s requests for Switzerland to take back asylum seekers came from Germany (2,932) and France (1,429). Switzerland approved 2,485 of these readmission applications. The migration office rejected the others on the grounds that they did not meet the Dublin agreement’s requirements.
Also under the Dublin system – Switzerland has sent 28,000 asylum seekers back to other European countries since 2008.
Basel diocese files five claims of sexual abuse in Swiss Catholic Church
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The diocese of Basel has received 141 reports of sexual abuse since the publication of a sweeping study on violations in the Catholic Church by the University of Zurich in 2023.
Swiss president calls for open markets and stable institutions in WEF speech
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Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter was among speakers at the WEF in Davos to make the case for fair competition, a day after Donald Trump became the 47th president of the United States.
Swiss film in competition at the 75th Berlinale has a shot at Golden Bear
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The feature film La Cache by Lausanne screenwriter and director Lionel Baier has a chance of winning the Silver or Golden Bear at the 75th Berlinale, festival organisers said on Tuesday.
Swiss politician who shot at image of Jesus resigns from Liberal Green Party
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Sanija Ameti, who caused controversy after shooting at an image of Jesus and Mary last September, has resigned from the Liberal Green Party.
Swiss campaigners gather enough signatures to submit ‘responsible business’ initiative
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The Swiss people are set to vote again on the corporate responsibility of multinationals after campaigners collected 183,661 signatures in 14 days for their new 'responsible business' initiative.
Several Swiss municipalities and banks hit by cyberattack
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Russian hackers attacked the websites of several Swiss municipalities and banks on Tuesday, just as the World Economic Forum (WEF), got under way in Davos.
Music strengthens brain connections in premature babies, Swiss study shows
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In premature babies, music strengthens connections in certain areas of the brain, according to a years-long study by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG).
WEF gives Crystal Award to Beckham, Yamamoto and von Fürstenberg
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The World Economic Forum in Davos handed out awards to UNICEF ambassador David Beckham, Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto and women's rights activist Diane von Fürstenberg.
Swiss CEOs betting on a strong domestic market in 2025
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Swiss business leaders are optimistic about 2025, despite a world in crisis, says a new survey by Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
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Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis have welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang to Bern
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Swiss justice minister sees door opening for refugee resettlement
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European Union interior ministers met on Thursday in Sofia, Bulgaria to re-visit the thorny issue of resettling thousands of refugees from conflict-torn parts of Africa and the Middle East. Since Non-EU member Switzerland was invited to participate because it is part of the so-called Dublin agreement governing asylum policy across Europe. + Here’s how another…
Swiss-led meeting calls for better protection of refugees
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European and African states as well as the EU and the UN have agreed to improve the protection of migrants, notably the situation in Libyan detention.
ICRC hopes for consensus, resettlement deal at migration conference
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Peter Maurer told the SonntagsBlick newspaper that he finds it a shame that the world’s interior ministers are “still mostly focused on controlling migration” instead of on improving the humanitarian situation in countries like Libya, where many migrants gather in dangerous circumstances before attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. “We are especially interested…
Switzerland’s defence of the Dublin accords is not a coincidence
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Although Switzerland is not one of the main destination countries for asylum seekers, between 2009 and 2014 it was the country that transferred the most migrants to another EU state. This practice is part of the Dublin accords, signed in 1990 and adopted by Switzerland in December 2008. According to this agreement, an asylum application…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.