(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The number of new asylum seekers in the EU has slightly decreased in the first six months of 2024, but still amounts to more than half a million.
This is evidenced by official data published by the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA), Ukrinform reports.
It is noted that as of the end of June, EU countries have registered 513,000 applications. Germany received almost a quarter of all applications (124,000), but this is less than last year. In Italy, the number of applications increased by more than a third compared to 2023 - 85,000, and in Spain, the total number of applications was stable but at a high level (88,000). Cyprus received the highest number of applications per capita - 4,900.
The largest number of asylum seekers were Syrians (71,000), which is a 7% increase compared to 2023. This is followed by Afghans (45,000), who submitted 18% fewer applications than last year. Venezuelans (37,000) and Colombians (29,000), as well as, to a lesser extent, Peruvians (14,000), continue to submit significant numbers of asylum applications.
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In total, the EUAA predicts around one million asylum applications by the end of the year.
According to the EUAA, as of the end of June 2024, 4.5 million refugees from Ukraine are enjoying temporary protection. The agency recorded a slight increase in the number of asylum applications from Ukrainians (12,000), more than half of which were filed in France and a fifth in Poland.
As Ukrinform reported, on June 25, the EU Council decided to extend temporary protection until March 4, 2026 for Ukrainian refugees.
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