Asylum applications across the European Union have fallen sharply in the first half of the year, marking one of the steepest declines in recent memory. Figures released by the European Commission on Monday show that 399,000 applications were filed between January and June, a drop of 23 percent compared with the same period last year. Austria registered an even more dramatic decrease, with applications plunging 37 percent to 8,637. EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner hailed the trend as evidence that a more disciplined, continent-wide approach to migration is beginning to bear fruit. The recognition rate, meanwhile, has slipped to a record low of 25 percent.
Brunner said the bloc’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum will help accelerate the processing of applications that have little chance of approval, ensuring that such cases no longer linger in the system. “With the pact we are introducing more efficient procedures so that applications with low chances are reviewed more swiftly,” he said, adding that spring proposals aimed at improving cooperation with non-EU countries should make returns more effective and relieve pressure on asylum systems. He urged both the European Parliament and member states to move quickly to finalize negotiations.
More than half of all asylum applications in the EU now come from individuals with less than a 20 percent chance of success. Under the Commission’s plan, those cases would be handled through expedited procedures, allowing officials to direct more attention and resources to applicants in genuine need of protection.
The changing geography of asylum in Europe is also becoming apparent. Ten years after the height of the refugee crisis, Germany is no longer the primary destination for asylum seekers. A two-thirds decline in applications from Syrians has shifted the balance. Venezuelans now make up the largest group of applicants, with their numbers climbing 31 percent over the past year. France and Spain, rather than Germany, now lead the EU in asylum claims, underscoring how both migration flows and the political response to them have evolved across the continent.
