For the first time since 2017, EU asylum decisions have exceeded the number of applications filed, a situation linked to Covid-19, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) said on Thursday 18 February.
In 2020, asylum applications in the EU (Member States and associated countries) fell by 31% from 2019 to their lowest level since 2013, largely due to emergency travel restrictions.
But the national asylum authorities have continued their activities, reducing the backlog of pending applications. In 2020, 461,300 applications were filed compared to 671,200 in 2019 and approximately 521,000 initial decisions were made.
Applications have decreased for almost all nationalities. Syrians submitted the largest number of applications, but fewer than in 2019 (-9%). With 48,578 applications (-16%), Afghans became the second most frequent nationality, followed by Venezuelans (30,643; -32%), Colombians (29,438; -9%) and Iraqis (18,167; -40%).
Link to statistics: http://bit.ly/3bePFel (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)