In its 2024 annual report, published on Monday 17 June, the European Union Agency for Asylum estimated that despite the fact that more than 1.1 million applications were lodged in 2023, capacity-building efforts in the Member States have enabled asylum systems to better manage this increase in the number of applications, even though some national systems are “still under significant pressure”.
In 2023, the EU+ countries (the EU and Schengen-associated states) received more than 1.1 million asylum applications, the highest figure for seven years, but four Member States (Germany, France, Spain and Italy) alone received 70% of all applications, says the report.
Syrians (181,000), Afghans (114,000) and Turks (101,000) continued to submit the highest number of applications. Palestinian applications (12,000), even at a low level, have also increased compared to 2022, but the Agency notes that this increase in applications began with the massacres in Israel on 7 October.
For the rest, the report points out that the EU+ countries have taken around 677,000 decisions at first instance, of which 294,000 have been positive, giving an overall EU+ recognition rate of 43% in 2023.
The influx of new applications has, however, resulted in a net increase of 280,000 cases in the total number of first instance cases in the EU+, which stood at 883,000 at the end of 2023.
Countries have adapted to this increase in demand by, for example, giving priority to certain profiles, shortening the personal interview, digitising administrative systems or increasing staff recruitment and training, explains the Agency.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/co7 (Original version in French Solenn Paulic)