The number of asylum applications in the European Union (EU), Norway and Switzerland in 2023 increased by 18% compared to the previous year reaching 1.14 million, the highest level since the 2015/2016 migration crisis, reaching a seven-year high, according to data released by the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA) on Wednesday, the 28th of February, reports Politico.
Syrian and Afghan nationals submitted the most applications – 181 000 and 114 000 respectively, continuing a trend that has been going on for years. However, Turkish nationals were the third largest group of applicants, submitting more than 100 000 applications – 82% more than the previous year.
Palestinian asylum applications following the war between Israel and Hamas also rose to a record high of more than 11 000, two thirds more than last year, with the majority of them headed for Greece.
Germany registered more than 330 000 applications,
the most of any EU Member States, followed by France (167 000), Spain (162 000) and Italy (136 000). Cyprus, with a population of around 1.2 million, received 12 000 applications – the most compared to its population.
These figures do not include the majority of Ukrainian citizens who have had to flee due to the Russian invasion, with some 4.4 million Ukrainians granted temporary protection status in the EU under a different classification.
These figures are likely to escalate political tensions over migration and refugee arrivals in the EU ahead of the upcoming election year in Europe, including the European Parliament elections, in which the far right is expected to gain ground.
The EUAA data comes a month after the EU border protection agency Frontex also recorded the biggest increase in illegal border crossings since 2016, according to Reuters.
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