(ANSA) - Brussels, September 16 - Natasha Bertaud, the European Commission's migration spokesperson, said Wednesday that the so-called hotspots being created to process asylum claims were starting to work in Italy. "Experts from EASO, Frontex, Eurojust and Europol are in Italy and the hotspots are starting to function, so it will be possible to start the relocations from the start of October," she said. ANSA sources said Italy and Greece had both delivered their roadmaps for dealing with the refugee emergency to Brussels.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella said in Vienna on Wednesday that an "assumption of responsibility by the European Union" was necessary to deal with the refugee emergency after a meeting with his Austrian counterpart Heinz Fischer. "This is a growing phenomenon whose size means it must have common EU management and not be handled by the individual countries," Mattarella said.