The Regional Administrative Court of Cologne annulled a Dublin transfer decision issued by the Federal Office for Migration and Asylum (BAMF) in the case of an applicant from Azerbaijan and held that it was convinced that, at the relevant time of the court decision with regard to the asylum procedure in Italy, there were far-reaching systemic deficiencies in Italy’s asylum system. The court further noted that on 5 and 7 December 2022, the Italian Ministry of the Interior informed Member States that the Italian authorities refuse to take back those seeking protection in accordance with the Dublin III Regulation, citing technical reasons and lack of reception capacity for a limited period, but without naming a specific end date. The court noted that there was actually a diplomatic refusal to accept Dublin returnees for an indefinite period as a means of political pressure within the negotiations taking place at EU level on a Common European Asylum Policy. The court concluded that it could not be foreseen when Italy would be willing to meet its obligations under the Dublin III Regulation.