27/05/2021 (Agence Europe) – West Africans and Moroccans lodged more asylum applications in March 2021 and contributed to an increase in first-time asylum applications in the EU, the European Asylum Support Office said on Thursday 27 May. In March 2021, approximately 40,200 applications for international protection were lodged; a stable number compared to the previous month, but showing a significant increase in the number of first-time applications (+17%) offset by a simultaneous decrease (-31%) in repeat applications (in the same country). The nationalities that lodged the most first-time applications were asylum seekers from the main countries of origin (Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia), as well as Morocco and various West African countries, which together lodged almost 1,000 more first-time applications in March than in February. Link to statistics: https://bit.ly/3bePFel (SP)