New data from Eurostat reveals that only 7.4% of asylum applications submitted by Moroccan nationals were approved by European Union member states in 2023, one of the lowest acceptance rates among all nationalities.
This places Moroccan applicants well below the EU-wide average, where 51.4% of initial asylum requests were granted.
Overall, EU countries received over 912,000 asylum applications last year, marking a 13% decline from 2022 when applications surpassed one million. In the first quarter of 2025, over 183,000 requests were recorded, down 23.5% compared to the same period in 2024.
Syrians led asylum submissions with 148,000 applications (16% of the total), followed by Venezuelans (72,000), Afghans, Colombians, and Turks.
Approval rates were significantly higher for these groups: 91% for Syrians, 88% for Venezuelans, and 80% for Afghans.
Meanwhile, 136,000 individuals were granted temporary protection in Q1 2025, a drop of nearly 40% year-over-year. Cyprus and Greece reported the highest per capita asylum application rates, with 7.2 and 6.6 requests per 1,000 people, respectively. In contrast, countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland led in granting temporary protection relative to population size.
The decline in both application numbers and approval rates, particularly for citizens of so-called “safe countries,” reflects a broader tightening of EU asylum and migration policies. Several member states have introduced stricter screening procedures and enhanced border controls. Germany, for instance, has expanded its list of safe countries to curb rising asylum numbers.
These developments highlight growing political momentum across Europe to curb irregular migration, even as humanitarian concerns and international legal obligations remain under scrutiny.
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