More than 54,000 first-time asylum seekers from non-European countries applied for international protection in EU member states in April, up 66% from April 2021 (32,570) but down 28% from March 2022 (74,950), according to data from Eurostat, the European statistics office, released Monday.
The decrease from March to April 2022 can be largely attributed to the decrease in the number of Ukrainian first-time applicants (from 12,885 in March to 1,510 in April, or -88%), whose numbers had increased in March due to the war, Eurostat explained in a statement. Most of these first-time asylum seekers were Afghans (7,255), followed by Syrians (6,485), Venezuelans (3,655), Colombians (2,705) and Turks (2,600).
According to the European body, Germany continued to be the most requested country in April, with 12,465 applications (23% of the total for the whole Union), ahead of France (9,540, 18%), Spain (7,695, 14%), Italy (4,700, 9%), Austria (4,690, 9%) and the Netherlands (2,230, 4%). These six countries alone account for almost three quarters (73%) of all first-time asylum applications.
According to the Office, 2,260 unaccompanied minors – half of whom were Afghans – applied for asylum in the European Union in April (+73% compared to April 2021, but down 22% compared to March 2022). Eurostat also counted 5,555 subsequent applicants (people who reapplied for asylum after a decision was made on a previous application) in April. This figure was up 2% from April 2021 and down 16% from March 2022.
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