Applications for asylum in the European Union in 2022 almost doubled compared with the previous year. Every third applicant came from Syria.
People seeking protection submitted 923,991 applications for asylum in the European Union (EU) in 2022 – marking a 46.6% increase from the previous year, German newspaper the Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday (January 22), citing the European Commission.
The EU Commission's latest report refers to previously unpublished figures from the European Asylum Support Office (EUAA), dated January 4, 2023.
According to the report, most applications were filed in Germany, followed by France, Spain and Austria.
Most asylum applications came from Syrians
Taking into account all 27 EU countries, most applications came from Syrian nationals, followed by nationals of Afghanistan, Turkey, Venezuela and Colombia.
In addition, some five million refugees from Ukraine sought "temporary protection" in the bloc in 2022 following Russia's invasion of the country.
In Germany, the number of asylum applications rose by a third to 226,467, reaching the highest level since 2016.
One in three applicants in Germany came from Syria, followed by Afghanistan, Turkey and Iraq, according to the report. Ukrainians do not have to apply for asylum to remain in Germany and are therefore not included in asylum statistics. Some opponents have slammed the measure as discriminatory, accusing Berlin of giving Ukrainians preferential treatment.
Info Migrants, AFP
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