Asylum applications registered in European Union (EU) countries, Norway and Switzerland in the first half of 2025 fell by 23 percent compared to the same period last year, the EU Asylum Agency announced today.
This drastic decrease "can hardly be explained by political changes in the EU", which is under intense pressure to tighten its migration policy, says a report seen by Agence France-Presse.
This decline is rather a direct consequence of the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, as Syrians have been the leading nationality among asylum seekers for the past ten years.
In just a few months, their numbers have dropped by two-thirds. Venezuelans are now in first place.
France received the most applications during that period, around 77.000, just ahead of Spain and Germany. These applications came from Ukraine, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Some 4,3 million Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion also benefit from temporary protection in the EU, a status that is distinct from asylum.
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