Asylum applications in the European Union rose to more than one million in 2023, a seven-year highwith Syrians as the main group seeking protection and a significant increase in requests from Venezuelans and Colombians, reported the EU Asylum Agency (AAUE).
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According to the organization, in 2023, 1.14 million applications for protection were registered in the 27 countries of the European Union, in addition to Norway and Switzerland, nations associated with the Schengen area. That represents an increase of 18% compared to 2022.
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The EUAA data means that The number of asylum seekers in 2023 approached a level last seen in 2015-2016, when hundreds of thousands, mostly Syrians, sought refuge in the EU.
The 334,000 asylum applications received in Germany in 2023 were double the 167,000 in France, and also well above the 136,000 in Italy.
Throughout the EU, Syrians submitted 181,000 applications.
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Afghans filed 114,000 claims. Although they were the second largest group, their number of orders in 2023 was 11% lower than that of 2022.
There were 101,000 applications from Turkish citizens (an increase of 82% from the previous year) and the majority were filed in Germany.
Germany, the EU country that received the highest number of asylum applications in 2023 (around 29 percent of the total), has been affected by the problem.
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What numbers are there of Colombians?
The numbers highlighted an increase in asylum claims filed by Latin Americans.
Venezuelans, for example, presented 67,922 asylum requests in 2023, compared to 50,839 in 2022.
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While, Colombian citizens presented 63,123 lawsuits last year, and in 2022 there were 43,280.
Peruvian citizens were responsible for 23,247 asylum requests in 2023, against 12,828 during 2022, for a strong increase of 44.8%.
For both Venezuelans, Colombians and Peruvians, Spain was the main point of asylum demands.
Immigration, including that of asylum seekers, is a front-page issue for Europe ahead of elections in June.
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Far-right nationalist parties advocating stricter entry criteria are expected to increase their representation in the European Parliament.
AFP
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