The number of asylum applications filed in European Union countries in July surpassed 70,000 for the third consecutive month, according to figures provided by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), while the same emphasized that this has not happened for several years.
According to the EUAA report, July’s figures compare to about 51,000 applications filed in July 2021 and 42,900 filed in July 2020, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Citizens of Afghanistan and Syria continue to account for the two largest applicant groups, while nationals of India and Tunisia filed the most applications on record.
“Analysis released by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) shows that about 72,800 asylum applications were lodged in the EU in July 2022, which is the 3rd consecutive month during which over 70,000 applications were lodged. In contrast to the peak recorded in March (almost 83,000 applications), the high numbers observed since May are not driven by persons fleeing Ukraine, who currently register almost exclusively for temporary protection,” the statement provided by EUAA reads.
The figures reveal that in July, there were about 236,000 registrations for temporary protection in the European Union countries, with about 4 million registrations recorded for a period between February 24, when Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and October 2.
Afghans accounted for the largest applicant group in July, followed by:
- Syrians (9,100)
- Pakistani (3,800)
- Turkish (3,800)
- Venezuelans (3,700)
- Colombians (3,600)
- Indians (2,900)
- Tunisians (2,400)
The number of applications filed for international protection by Russian citizens remained high in July, while the number of monthly applications doubled in March following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; the monthly numbers have since remained steady.
“Between January and July 2022, EU countries have received around 7 300 applications from Russian nationals. It is too early to say what impact the partial mobilization announced by the Russian authorities in September will have on applications in EU countries,” the statement reads.
The number of asylum applications filed by unaccompanied minors remained high in July, at close to 3,700, which means that this is up by 14 per cent from June and the highest monthly total since December 15.
According to the report, the number of asylum applications filed by unaccompanied minors from Syria, Somalia, and Eritrea marked a notable increase, while numbers stayed relatively high for nationals from Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.
“The EU+ recognition rate was 41 percent in July, which was lower than in May and June, but in line with the average for the first half of 2022. The slight majority of positive decisions which granted refugee status (54 per cent) meant that a relatively large share of positive decisions granted subsidiary protection (46 per cent),” the statement provided by EUAA pointed out in this regard.
The report also revealed that the number of first-instance decisions in July (53,800) decreased slightly compared to June figures.
SOURCE: Schengen Visa Info
