#publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * › world * › europe * US * americas * asia * australia * africa * middle east * cities * development * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Refugees Eritrean refugees flown from Italy to Sweden in first EU quota relocation Italian interior minister says it is ‘a day of victory for Europe’ as 20 people depart, the first of 160,000 to be shared around continent Eritrean refugees at Rome’s Ciampino airport Dimitris Avramopoulos, left, and Angelino Alfano accompany Eritrean refugees at Rome’s Ciampino airport. Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP Staff and agencies Friday 9 October 2015 12.22 BST Last modified on Monday 12 October 2015 10.57 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 3 months old Twenty Eritreans have been flown from Rome to Sweden in the first move under a new and bitterly contested system of EU quotas for sharing 160,000 refugees. The European migration commissioner, Dmitris Avramopoulos, and the Italian interior minister, Angelino Alfano, escorted the group to the airport. “Today is a day of victory for Europe,” Alfano told reporters as the jet took off. About 100 other asylum seekers will be sent to countries including Germany and Holland in the coming weeks, he said. Avramopoulos said the relocation was “a tangible example of what we can do if we work together”. However, diplomats working on the quota policy say it is almost impossible to identify potential beneficiaries among the 600,000 people who have entered the EU this year because most refuse to be registered at the point of entry in Greece or Italy and do not want to be relocated to arbitrary countries on a quotas list. Avramopoulos will visit an immigration centre that will be run jointly by EU and Italian officials – called a “hotspot” – on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Friday before moving on to Greece to review its own hotspot plan. Related: EU governments call for faster deportations of failed asylum seekers People who qualify for relocation are Syrians fleeing civil war, Eritreans escaping forced military service and Iraqis overrun by Islamic State militants. The EU budget will give €6,000 (£4,450) per head to the country that accepts the refugees, while the country that is transferring them will get €500 each to pay for their transfer. On Thursday, European governments decided on tentative steps towards common immigration policies in response to the refugee emergency, opening talks on surrendering national control of borders to new EU authorities and calling for more and quicker deportations of refused asylum seekers. __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * Refugees * Italy * Sweden * European Union * Europe __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content popular The Guardian back to top * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel all sections close * home * UK + education + media + society + law + scotland + wales + northern ireland * world selected + europe + US + americas + asia + australia + africa + middle east + cities + development * sport + football + cricket + rugby union + F1 + tennis + golf + cycling + boxing + racing + rugby league * football + live scores + tables + competitions + results + fixtures + clubs * opinion + columnists * culture + film + tv & radio + music + games + books + art & design + stage + classical * business + economics + banking + retail + markets + eurozone * lifestyle + food + health & fitness + love & sex + family + women + home & garden * fashion * environment + climate change + wildlife + energy + pollution * tech * travel + UK + europe + US + skiing * money + property + savings + pensions + borrowing + careers * science * professional networks * the observer * today's paper + editorials & letters + obituaries + g2 + weekend + the guide + saturday review * sunday's paper + comment + the new review + observer magazine * membership * crosswords + blog + editor + quick + cryptic + prize + quiptic + genius + speedy + everyman + azed * video * World * › Refugees IFRAME: /email/form/footer/37 * Facebook * Twitter * Facebook * Twitter * all topics * all contributors * solve technical issue * complaints & corrections * terms & conditions * privacy policy * cookie policy * securedrop © 2016 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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