A first group of 19 asylum seekers was relocated from Italy to Sweden on Friday under under the European Union’s new emergency relocation scheme, the UN refugee agency said. The asylum seekers who had arrived in Sicily by boat over the last few weeks were registered in Lampedusa. They accepted to take part in the relocation scheme that will allow them to be relocated to other EU countries, the UNHCR said. The EU adopted last month the proposal of the European Commission to relocate 120 000 refugees over two years from Italy and Greece and other member states directly affected by the refugee crisis to other member states. The departure of the group from Italy officially starts the relocation of asylum seekers from the country. More departures will follow next week. More than 132,000 refugees and migrants have arrived to Italian shores, mainly in Sicily, since the start of the year.
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