Number of asylum applications increases dramatically in EU

The EU will receive more than 1 million asylum applications by the end of the year. In nine months, about 937 thousand such appeals were registered, which is 22 percent more than in the same period last year, Azernews reports, citing the EU Asylum Agency.

In October alone, the agency registered about 123 thousand applications, which is the highest monthly figure in seven years.

Nina Gregory, Director of the EU Asylum Agency, believes that the upward trend will continue in 2024:

"The world around us is becoming more unstable. The need for refugee protection will not decrease in 2024 and later, and in some cases it will even increase."

Germany remains the main destination, as it was last year. The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said that a third of the total number of asylum seekers in Europe – 325,000 people – apply to stay in Germany. This is 52% more than last year and more than in France and Italy combined.

The number of refugees from Ukraine continues to grow, it has increased by 320 thousand people in nine months. There are currently 4.16 million Ukrainians living in Europe who can enjoy temporary protection. Of these, 1.17 million are in Germany and almost 1 million in Poland.