Filenews 17 December 2020
The highest number of asylum seekers relative to the EU population is recorded in Cyprus, according to data released today by Eurostat.
In particular, in the third quarter of 2020, some 111 700 asylum seekers for the first time applied for international protection in the Member States of the European Union (EU), an increase of 132% compared to the second quarter of 2020. However, despite this increase, the number of applications was even lower than for the reference periods before COVID-19 of the third (159 900) and the fourth quarter of 2019 (172 200).
With 18 100 applicants for the first time in the third quarter of 2020, Syrians remained the largest group of people seeking international protection in EU Member States, compared to Afghans (11 200 first-time applicants) and Venezuelan nationals (9 600). The citizens of these countries were over a third (35%) asylum seekers for the first time in the third quarter of 2020.
The highest number of first-time applicants in the third quarter of 2020 was recorded in Germany (with 27 200 first-time asylum seekers or 24% of total first-time applicants in EU Member States), followed by Spain (26 900 or 24%) and France (21 700, or 19%). of all applications.
Compared to the population of each Member State, the highest proportion of registered candidates for the first time in the third quarter of 2020 was recorded in Cyprus (1,848 first-time applicants per million population), Malta (1,320) and Greece (799).
In contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Hungary (1 applicant per million population), Poland (8) and Estonia (9). There were a total of 249 asylum seekers for the first time per million population in the EU in the third quarter of 2020.
Eurostat explains that pending applications for international protection are those submitted at all times and continue to be examined by the competent national authorities at the end of the reference period.
At the end of September 2020, 790 800 asylum protection applications in the EU Member States were examined by national authorities, a 14% decrease compared to September 2019 and a decrease of 6% compared to June 2020.
With 268 200 pending applications at the end of September 2020, Germany had the largest share in the EU (34% of the EU total), ahead of France (154 300 or 20%), Spain (101 400 or 13%) and Spain (101 400 or 13%). Greece (75 700, or 10%).
Source: eyenews/KYPE
