EU asylum applications drop by 23% in first half of 2025 DW 09/08/2025

A total of 399,000 new asylum applications were lodged in the EU between January and June 2025, a decline of 114,000 (23%) compared with the same period in 2024. Germany experienced the largest drop in asylum seekers at 43%, followed by Italy (25%) and Spain (13%). The overall decrease was largely driven by a sharp fall in Syrian applicants, who registered about 25,000 requests across the EU+ (the 27 EU states plus Switzerland and Norway), down 66% year-on-year. The EUAA attributed much of the Syrian decline to the ouster of Bashar al-Assad and growing optimism about stability and reconstruction in Syria. Syrians moved from the largest to the third-largest nationality group behind Venezuelans and Afghans.

"The Malta-based European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said 399,000 new applications were lodged between January and June, down 114,000, or 23%, from the same period in 2024. Germany lost its spot as the most preferred country for asylum seekers and saw the biggest decline in asylum applications standing at a 43% drop. It was followed by followed by Italy and Spain, which saw 25% and 13% declines, respectively."

"According to the data, Syrians registered around 25,000 requests in the 27-nation bloc, plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+), down 66% compared to the same period last year. "This remarkable reduction is hardly due to policy changes in the EU+," EUAA said in a report, also crediting instead the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad."

""With the new Syrian authorities advocating for stability and reconstruction, many displaced Syrians have evidently become more hopeful about returning to rebuild their communities.""

Read at www.dw.com