Highest Number of Syrian Asylum Applications since 2016 – EU
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Some 966.000 applications for political protection were lodged in European Union countries in 2022, up more than 50% from 2021, an EU agency said on Wednesday.
The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said the EU countries received 966.000 applications for political protection, the largest groups were Syrians, Afghans and Turks.
Of these, 132.000 were Syrians, who form the largest applicant group to the EU outside of Ukrainians. Around four million Ukrainians have benefited from a separate temporary directive, which speeds up their application procedure. Afghans come in third, with 129.000 applications in 2022.
Unlike Ukraine and Afghanistan, the situation on the ground in Syria did not radically change between 2021 and 2022. Instead, asylum-seekers from Syria are more likely escaping a deteriorating economic situation in the country, brought on by 12 years of war, mismanagement, and Western sanctions.
An estimated 55.000 Turkish citizens also filed for asylum in the EU – the fourth largest group. The Turkish flight is likely a reaction to the country’s currency crisis and ongoing crackdown against opposition groups by the government.
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.