This observation comes amid a discord over the reform of European migration policy and after the controversy sparked by Italy and Malta’s refusal to welcome migrants from the humanitarian ship Aquarius.
European Heads of State and government must discuss to find common ground at the summit on June 28 and 29.
Asylum applications across Europe fell by 44% in 2017, to 728,470.
This is the finding of the European Asylum Support Office in its annual report published this Monday. And the trend continues for the first four months of this year.
Most arrivals were concentrated on the Central and Eastern Mediterranean routes, with an “unprecedented resurgence” in the Western Mediterranean.
Countries of origin of asylum seekers
The majority of asylum seekers in Europe are Syrians (15%), Iraqis (7%), and Afghans (7%), followed by Nigerians and Pakistanis.
Main destination countries for asylum applications
Germany received the highest number of asylum applications in 2017 (222,500), followed by Italy (128,850) and France (99,330).
For the sixth consecutive year, Germany topped the list of asylum applications, even though this number has decreased by 70% compared to 2016.
According to this report, European countries have more frequently refused to grant asylum. In 2017, nearly 534,000 people were refused asylum in Europe, 100,000 more than in 2016.
In a tweet, the European Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, welcomed this significant drop in asylum applications. “This shows once again that the situation is improving, but we must remain vigilant,” he stated.
