EU receives over half million asylum applications in first half of 2023
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) revealed on Sep.5, that during the first half of 2023, they received 519,000 applications for asylum, the highest level for this time of the year since the refugee crisis of 2015-2016, mostly by Syrian refugees.
The EUAA released an analysis which shows asylum applications continue to be submitted in the EU by 28 percent increase compared to the first half of 2022. The analysis predicted that applications could surpass one million by the end of 2023.
Syrians, Afghans, Venezuelans, Turks and Colombians filed the most applications for asylum, together making up 44 percent of all applications.
In the first half of 2023, 67,000 Syrian refugees, representing 17 percent of the total, filed applications, which is 47 percent more compared to the same period in 2022. Most of the applications, 30 percent, were submitted in Germany, next came Spain by 17 percent and then France by 16 percent.
The EU granted either refugee status or subsidiary protection to around 41 percent of the refugees who applied. They granted 95 percent of Syrians international protection whereas granted protection to around 58 percent of Afghan applicants.
The analysis also showed that the rate of Turkish applicants downed to 28 percent for the past four years. Compared to previous years, granting protection to Russians also increased to 35 percent of the applicants and to 47 percent for Iranians.
Public data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, pointed out that Syrian nationals were the most nationality to illegally cross to the EU.
Roughly one million Syrian asylum-seekers and refugees live in the EU. Germany alone hosts around 59% of them. Across Europe, Syrians have usually been provided with international protection status. However, procedures tend to be long, which is why many Syrians have taken dangerous routes to reach the continent. Around 94,000 Syrians made their way to Europe illicitly in 2022, the EU says – more than double the number in 2021.