During the second quarter of 2016 (from April to June 2016), 305,700 people issued an initial request for international protection in the member states of the EU, representing an increase of 6% compared to the first quarter of 2016 (287,100 initial asylum applications), the statistical office of the EU (Eurostat) announced on Thursday 22 September.
Accounting for nearly 90,500 initial applications over this period, Syrians by far represent the largest group of people asking for protection in...