Afghan nationals submitted more than 17,300 asylum applications in the (enlarged) EU in September 2021, up from 10,000 in August, almost twice as many as Syrians, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) said on 3 December.
“Afghans remained the largest applicant group in September, applying nearly twice as much as Syrians, who had been the largest group for 7 years up to July”, the Office said in a statement. The total number of applications in the EU+ has also exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time since the emergence of Covid-19, with a total of 71,200 applications for protection filed in the EU+ in September 2021, an increase of a quarter compared to August, which is the highest figure since November 2016. Applications from Afghans increased by 72% after the Taliban took control of the country.
The number of applications submitted by Syrians amounted to 9,100. Turkish nationals (3,000) were the third largest group in September, with applications also increasing, followed by Iraqis with 2,900 applications, partly linked to the irregular migration route via Belarus. Link to the press release: https://bit.ly/2RGf8Hi (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)