A migrant arrives at the arrival centre for asylum seekers in Reinickendorf district, Berlin, Germany, Oct 6, 2023. [Photo/Agencies]
Asylum requests in the European Union and in partner nations fell 11 percent in 2024, but still exceeded 1 million applications for the second straight year, the EU's asylum agency reported.
The annual report released by the European Union Agency for Asylum, or EUAA, on Monday showed 1,014,420 requests for international protection were filed last year, compared to the 1,143,437 requests recorded in 2023.
The report highlighted that 48 percent of the applications were submitted by citizens from countries with low approval rates, suggesting they are likely to be rejected by national authorities.
The pattern intensifies concerns among EU member states that are urging Brussels to reform current legislation to expedite the deportation of rejected asylum seekers, particularly economic migrants seeking better living standards rather than fleeing persecution or ill-treatment, reported Euronews.
While international law grants asylum rights to those fleeing conflict or persecution, those seeking economic opportunities or escaping poverty typically face rejection.
Despite a 29 percent decline in applications compared to 2023, Germany remained the top destination for asylum seekers, with 237,000 requests.
Migration emerged as a crucial issue during Germany's recent elections, marked by unprecedented far-right gains and public demonstrations against stricter border controls.
Following Germany, Spain, Italy, and France each recorded approximately 160,000 applications. In terms of the number of applicants as a ratio of total population, Cyprus and Greece saw the highest concentration, receiving one asylum request per 140 residents.
Syrians remained the largest group seeking asylum, with 151,000 applications representing 15 percent of total requests, though their numbers declined following the fall of Syria's then-president, Bashar al-Assad, in late 2024 after nearly 14 years of conflict.
While some Syrian refugees have begun returning home and withdrawing asylum claims, the United Nations refugee agency cautioned that Syria's conditions must improve to prevent further displacement of returning citizens, reported the Associated Press, or AP.
Afghans filed 87,000 applications and Venezuelans 74,000, making them the second and third largest groups of asylum seekers respectively.
The report noted protection was granted to 42 percent of first-time asylum applicants in 2024, unchanged from 2023. Highlighting stark differences among nationalities, acceptance rates ranged from 90 percent for Syrians to just 4 percent for Bangladeshis, while a backlog of 981,000 cases awaits decisions.
Spain's Canary Islands saw a doubling of asylum claims from people from Mali, at 17,000, and from Senegal, at 14,000, amid the conflict in the Sahel region.
Hungary's asylum restrictions, deemed an "unprecedented" breach of EU law, meant it received only 29 applications.
An additional 4.4 million Ukrainians, not included in asylum statistics, were still registered in the EU under the bloc's "temporary protection" program at the end of 2024, mainly in Germany and Poland, AP reported.
Under this special directive, activated in 2022 after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukrainians can live, work, study, and access medical care in the EU without applying for asylum, though the arrangement is time-limited.
