European Internet, January 30, according to the European Union News Agency, the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA) recently released a report stating that as of November 2, the number of asylum applications filed by the entire EU is the second highest in the past five years. Among them, Afghan security situation is the main reason for increasing asylum applications.
European Asylum Agency expects more asylum applications to be filed.
It is reported that the European Union asylum agency said that after Taliban took over Afghanistan, Afghan nationals have been in the lead in asylum applications. Since 2016, Syrian nationals have been the largest group of asylum applications. In terms of absolute numbers, in November 2021 alone, the EU received about 71,400 international protection applications, a 9% increase from the previous month.
In September 2021, the number of asylum applicants reached the highest level in the past five years, mainly because many asylum applications were related to the evacuation from Kabul after the Taliban took over Afghanistan. The number of asylum applications submitted in November last year was also very high, almost the same as the record number reported in September, which also reflects an increase in the number of applications for Afghans, but also marks an increase in the number of applications for several other major nationalities.
The report pointed out that since 2016, Afghans have ranked second in the number of asylum applications, with about 13,000 asylum cases. This figure is significantly higher than the asylum application filed in October, but less than in September.
According to the European Union asylum agency report, Afghans remain the largest group of asylum applicants, followed by Syrians, with 11,500 asylum applications. The report stressed that the number of applicants for Taxation in Syria was the highest since 2016, marking the end of the so-called refugee crisis. About 4,300 Iraqis representing the third largest asylum applicant group also applied for EU asylum in November last year, an increase of 30% from the previous month. In addition, Venezuelan 3,300 people, Pakistan 2,800 people and 2,500 people in Colombia also submitted asylum applications.
The report found that one in every 20 asylum seekers was underage. In recent months, the number of people applying for asylum in the EU who claim to be unaccompanied is also increasing. This group submitted more than 3,300 applications in October, the largest number since 2015. The figures for November 2021 are slightly lower, with about 3,200 minors claiming to be unaccompanied to apply for asylum in the EU.
According to the European Union asylum agency documents, about half of the unaccompanied minors are from Afghanistan, followed by Syrians, Somalis, Bangladeshi and Pakistani. In November last year, unaccompanied minors accounted for 5% of all applicants in the EU.
The European Union asylum agency said that in November 2021, the EU countries' asylum authorities only issued about 45,500 first-instance rulings, roughly the same as the number released in October. However, for the fifth consecutive month in 2021, the number of asylum applications far exceeded the first-instance ruling issued by EU member states. There is no indication that this backlog could improve, the report said. This directly led to the number of first-instance pending cases in recent months, increasing to the end of November, about 431,000 cases. Less than half of these asylum cases are pending, and many applicants still do not know the preliminary results of their applications for more than half a year.
According to the European Union's asylum agency report, the overall recognition rate of EU asylum applications in November was 40%, the second highest in the first 19 months, with the recognition rate reaching 41% at that time in September 2021. According to the document, 91% of asylum applicants in Syria, 287% of Eritrea applicants and 272% of Palestinian applicants have all been recognized by the European Union asylum agencies.
The European Union asylum agency stressed that in the positive decisions made in November last year, almost three-quarters of the people were approved for refugee status, while the rest of the applicants received auxiliary protection. This is a very high proportion. This recognition rate is dominated by the Afghan National Democratic Republic, with 92% of whom obtained refugee status. (Ying Yongfeng)
