Germany is the main destination for asylum seekers in the European Union, receiving nearly a third of applications (Shutterstock)

Data issued by the European Union Asylum Agency - today, Wednesday - announced an increase in asylum applications in the bloc by 18%, reaching 1.14 million in 2023. This number is considered the highest since the migrant crisis that the European continent witnessed in the period between 2015 and 2016.

These data are expected to raise controversy over the issue of immigration and far-right trends, especially before a series of local and national elections across the continent, in addition to the European Parliament elections scheduled for next June.

According to the agency, Syrians and Afghans represent the largest groups that have applied for asylum.

The data also showed, in a new development, that Turks have become the third largest group of applicants, as the number of asylum applications submitted by them increased by 82% compared to the previous year.

The agency indicated that the number of Palestinians who applied for asylum reached unprecedented levels, reaching 11,600 after the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on the seventh of last October.

The agency explained the difficulty of recording their numbers accurately, given that most European Union member states do not recognize Palestine as a state.

Once again, Germany was the main destination for asylum seekers in the EU, receiving almost a third of applications, while Cyprus received the proportionately highest number of applications, one for every 78 people.

Although asylum applications in 2023 are slightly close to the levels of 2016, they are in addition to the 4.4 million Ukrainians who sought asylum in the European Union following Russia’s war on Ukraine without the need to submit an official application.

This data comes a month after the European Border Protection Agency (Frontex) recorded the highest increase in the rate of irregular border crossings since 2016.

It is noteworthy that the European Union has tightened external borders and asylum laws since the 2015-2016 crisis, and concluded deals in the Middle East and North Africa to contain refugees there.

Source: Agencies