Figures from the European Union Agency for Asylum show that asylum applications to Germany decreased by 20% during the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2023. Despite this significant decline, media reports from the Welt am Sonntag newspaper indicate that Germany still remains at the forefront of European countries in terms of receiving asylum applications.
The media report analyzed previously unpublished figures from the European Union Agency for Asylum. According to the report, the majority of asylum applications to Germany were submitted by Syrians, accounting for 29% of the total. They were followed by asylum seekers from Afghanistan at 18% and Turkey at 10%.
Asylum applications to EU countries overall decreased by 2% in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2023. However, the number of applications remained almost stable in some countries, such as Norway and Switzerland, which each received approximately 499,470 applications.
According to the report, the decline in asylum applications to EU countries is minimal, despite the EU signing migration agreements with Egypt and Tunisia in 2023. EU countries received 1.14 million asylum applications, marking the highest number since the 2016 refugee crisis.
Germany alone received nearly a third of all applications, totaling 351,000. However, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser believes that Germany’s new asylum policy is a success. She stated last April that German authorities have arrested hundreds of smugglers since October due to tightened border controls, and over 17,000 asylum seekers have been prevented from entering Germany without authorization.
Despite the overall decline in asylum applications across Europe, some countries have experienced an increase. Spain, for instance, received 67,700 asylum applications in the first six months of 2024, marking a 2% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, Greece saw a significant rise, with 29,776 applications since the beginning of the year—an increase of 77% compared to the same period in 2023.
