EU Asylum Applications Fall to Lowest Level Since 2021
MALTA: Asylum applications across the European Union, Norway, and Switzerland have fallen once more, continuing a downward trend that has now lasted more than a year. Between January and June, the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA) recorded around 332,000 new applications; a drop of roughly 67,000, or nearly 17 percent, from the same period in 2025.
The agency, headquartered in Malta, said this marks the lowest half-year total since 2021. Most applicants came from Afghanistan (39,000), followed by Venezuela (33,000) and Bangladesh (20,000). Officials attributed the overall decline largely to fewer applications from people fleeing Syria, Colombia, Ukraine, and Türkiye, as reported by The Kurier.
France recorded the highest number of applications (69,000), followed by Italy (66,000), then Spain and Germany, each with 55,000. Together, these four countries accounted for roughly three-quarters of all applications filed across the bloc. Relative to population size, however, Greece topped the list with 23,000 applications.
Austria reported notably fewer applications than many neighboring countries. It recorded 4,903 asylum applications in the first half of 2026, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia, amounting to 532 applications per million residents, below the EU+ average of 710, and lower than Germany (652) and Switzerland (1,067).
The recognition rate for claims stood at 31 percent, the EUAA noted. By the end of June, roughly 1.18 million asylum cases remained pending across the EU’s 27 member states, plus Switzerland and Norway.
The figures come as EU nations continue tightening migration policy. A new asylum pact took effect on June 12, introducing faster processing for certain applicants and expanded border procedures. Deepening cooperation with countries of origin has also helped reduce overall numbers, officials said.
The drop in Afghan applications partly reflects repeat claims filed in late 2025 by Afghans already in the EU. The EUAA also pointed to shifting conditions in Syria, still in flux since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, as shaping the changing makeup of asylum seekers.
