Asylum applications registered in European Union countries, Norway and Switzerland in the first half of 2023 increased by 28% compared to the same period the previous year, the EU Agency announced on Tuesday. for asylum. Some 519,000 asylum applications were lodged in these 29 countries between January and the end of June, the agency says, estimating that “on current trends, applications could exceed one million by the end of the year. “.
Syrians, Afghans, Venezuelans, Turks and Colombians are the main applicants, accounting for 44% of requests. Demand for the first semester is the highest this time of year since 2015-2016. In 2015-2016, during the influx of refugees in Europe caused in particular by the stalemate of the conflict in Syria, the number of asylum applications had reached 1.3 million (in 2015) and 1.2 million (in 2016 ). In 2022, they were 994,945.
Germany is the country that received the most files: 30% of the total, and almost twice as many as Spain (17%) and France (16%). The agency points out that due to this increase, many European countries “are under pressure to process applications”, and that the number of cases awaiting decision has increased by 34% compared to 2022. Some 41% of first instance applications received a positive response. In addition, some 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion currently benefit from temporary protection in the EU.
