26/11/2020 (Agence Europe) – More Belarusian nationals have sought protection in the EU (and Schengen-related countries) in September 2020 than in any other month since 2008, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) said on 26 November. However, their numbers remain very low, with a total of 186 requests. In August, 94 applications were submitted. On average, there were 71 per month in 2019. In general, the number of asylum applications that were submitted, with all nationalities combined, decreased by 35% compared to the same period in 2019, with health measures related to Covid-19 being the main reason. Since the start of 2020, 337,830 applications have been filed in the EU, compared to 516,555 in 2019. Syrians, Afghans, Colombians, Venezuelans and Pakistanis accounted for 43% of the applications made in September. (SP)