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BRUSSELS: Asylum applications to the EU dropped to a five-year-low in the first half of 2026, continuing a downward trend partly brought about by a hardening of migration policy, the bloc\u2019s asylum agency said Thursday.<\/p>\n
The European Union plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+) received 332,000 applications for international protection from January to June, 17 percent fewer than in the same period last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the lowest number recorded in the first half of a year since 2021,\u201d the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said.<\/p>\n
The agency attributed the decrease to the political transition in Syria, which has resulted in a massive drop in applications filed by the country\u2019s nationals, as well as to the EU\u2019s \u201cefforts in cooperating with countries of origin and transit\u201d.<\/p>\n
Brussels has recently struck deals with Northern African countries including Tunisia and Mauritania, providing aid and investments in return for help with migration.<\/p>\n
War in the Middle East had also not translated into a feared increase in applications from the countries affected, the EUAA said.<\/p>\n
Afghans were the largest group of applicants, with 39,000 requests for protection, followed by Venezuelans and Bangladeshis.<\/p>\n
Less than a third of applications processed in the first six months of the year were successful, the agency said, noting that this was due to have an impact on future requests.<\/p>\n
Under rules that came into force in June, applicants from countries that have a recognition rate of less than 20 percent undergo an expedited procedure linked to swift deportation in case of rejection.<\/p>\n
The same is true for applicants from countries the EU deems \u201csafe\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first half of 2026, nearly 56 percent of applications were from citizenships meeting one or more of these criteria,\u201d the EUAA said.<\/p>\n
Among EU nations, France received the highest number of applications (69,000), followed by Italy (66,000), Spain (55,000) and Germany (55,000).<\/p>\n
With 23,000 requests Greece was the country that received the most applications per capita.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n