A 31 per cent decrease has been marked in the number of asylum applications during last year compared to 2019 figures, which is the most profound decrease since 2013, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has revealed in its recent report.
Based on the same source, in total, 461,300 persons filed an application seeking international protection in the EU countries during 2020, compared to 671,200 applications filed in 2019, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The figures are a direct result of the Coronavirus pandemic situation, which pushed the governments of countries worldwide to impose travel bans and other restrictions to contain the further spread of the virus, even though asylum authorities attempted to ensure that applications could be registered and decisions issued.
About 4 per cent of all applications in the European countries were made by unaccompanied minors, which marked an increase of one percentage point compared to 2019’s figures.
The vast majority of applications were filed by citizens of Syria (64,540; 9 per cent decrease from 2019), or 14 per cent of all applications filed in the European Union countries.
The top second nationals that applied the most for international protection in EU countries are Afghans (48,578, 16 per cent decrease) followed by:
- Venezuelans (30,643; 32 per cent decrease)
- Colombians (29,438; 9 per cent decline)
- Iraqis (18,167; 40 per cent decline)
Even though the number of applications in 2020 declined compared to 2019’s figures, the nationalities that applied the most in 2019 continued to be the most interested ones during last year. All nationalities mentioned above accounted for over two-fifths of all applications filled in the European Union countries.
Citizens of Pakistan, Turkey, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Somalia were also very interested in acquiring international protection in European Union countries, even though the figures are lower compared to the previous year, especially for Nigeria (13,031, 44 per cent decrease) and Turkey’s citizens (15,834; 38 per cent decrease).
The Coronavirus pandemic situation provoked a decrease in the number of applications for citizens of the following as well:
- Albania (6,498; 66 per cent decrease)
- Georgia (8,508; 61 per cent decrease)
- Iran (7,721; 60 per cent decrease)
Only citizens of the following countries were more interested in applying for international protection in 2020, compared to 2019, Comoros (1,996; 53 per cent increase), Belarus (1,319; 28 per cent increase), Cuba (2,170, 8 per cent increase), and Brazil (1,622; 5 per cent increase.
“Applicants from visa-exempt countries seemed to be especially affected by the travel restrictions implemented due to the pandemic. In 2020, their applications decreased by 36 per cent from the previous year, whereas applications by citizens from visa-obliged countries only fell by 30 per cent,” the statement clarifies.
Asylum Decisions in EU Exceed Number of Applications for First Time Since 2017
According to the European Asylum Support Office recent report, nearly 521,000 first instance decisions were issued during 2020, which surpassed the applications’ number for the first time since 2017.
Approximately 412,600 cases were still pending in the first instance, at the end of last year.
“The recognition rate in the EU+ remained stable at 32 per cent in 2020, despite strong fluctuations during the year. Syrians (84 per cent), Eritreans (80 per cent) and Yemenis (75 per cent) had the highest recognition rates, while the recognition rates of Colombians (2 per cent) and Venezuelans (3 per cent) reached very low levels,” the statement highlights.
The increased number of applications for international protection in Europe caused difficulties for some states’ governments, especially those who receive many requests for asylum in Europe.
In this regard, EASO, in December, announced that it plans to expand its operation in the following countries that often struggle the most with this problem: Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Malta and Spain.
Back in September, EASO and the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Field of Freedom, Security and Justice (EU-LISA) agreed to initiate a multi-annual Cooperation Plan which would help both sides to cooperate in the fields of border and asylum management, in Europe. Such a plan was set to be effective until 2022.
The initiative was taken in order to help the European countries to deal with border migration and asylum situations, mainly.
At the end of last year, the European Asylum Support Office announced that the figures for asylum applications were nearly the same in October and November but still lower compared to the pre-Coronavirus pandemic situation.
According to EASO ‘s report published in November, a total of 40,900 persons sought asylum in the European Union countries, during that month, about the same figures as in October.
Movement restrictions and other bans were among the main reasons why the figures marked a decline during last year, as all the countries faced the current struggle to keep the COVID-19 situation under control.
The Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland marked a significant decrease in the number of asylum applications, during last year, due to the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) previously announced that a nearly 40 per cent decline was marked in the number of persons who sought international protection in the Netherlands during last year.
A 31.5 per cent decrease was marked in the number of cross-border first-time asylum applications in 2020, according to Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Home Affairs report.
As for Switzerland, it received 23 per cent fewer applications for asylum during last year, compared to 2019 figures, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) data.