Germany begins sending refugees back to Italy

Germany has begun sending refugees back to Italy, German newspaper Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung reported Friday.

The change in policy took place in early June and was justified with Italy's "significantly increased" capacity to admit refugee families with underage children, said the daily.

The German government had stopped sending refugees back to Italy at the end of 2014 out of concern that it was unable to provide necessary asylum and care. However, the German practice violated the Dublin Regulation which mandates that refugees must apply for asylum in the first European Union state they enter.

A Federal Office for Migration and Refugees internal document noted that Italy had guaranteed that it would provide adequate accommodation and care for refugees.

According to the paper, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg deemed the guarantee sufficient and other European Union members had already begun relocating refugees under the Dublin framework.

Families with infants and small children are still exempt from the transferring.

Left party (Linke) politician Ulla Jelpke criticized the relocations, warning that "families with children will be facing inhumane conditions and threats to the welfare of children due to deficits in the Italian asylum system."