Asylum applications registered in European Union countries, Norway and Switzerland rose by 28% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year, the EU Agency for Asylum said on Tuesday.
Between January and the end of June, about 519,000 asylum applications were filed in these 29 countries, according to the agency, which estimates that “based on current trends, the number of applications could exceed one million by the end of the year.”
Syrians, Afghans, Venezuelans, Turks and Colombians are the main applicants with a share of 44%.
First half applications at this time of year are at their highest level since 2015-2016.
In the period 2015-2016, during the influx of refugees to Europe caused in particular by the stagnation of the conflict in Syria, the number of asylum applications reached 1.3 million (in 2015) and 1.2 million (in 2016). In 2022 there 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 highlights that many European countries are “under pressure to process applications” due to this increase, and that the number of dossiers pending decision has increased by 34% compared to 2022.
Approximately 41% of first instance requests received a positive response.
In addition, around 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion are currently enjoying temporary protection in the EU.