Afghan citizens, Venezuelans and Bangladeshis led the asylum applications in the European Union during the first half of 2026as reported this Thursday by the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA).
EUAA pointed out that the countries of the European Union registered some 332,000 applications for international protection in the first half of 2026, 17% less than the previous year, which confirms the downward trend that began in 2024.
“It is the lowest figure recorded in a semester since 2021”the agency said in a statement reported by AFP.
This is explained by the political transition in Syria that caused a drop in asylum applications from Syrian citizens during the last year, says the EUAA, although it considers this change of government “fragile” after the overthrow of President Bashar al Assad by a coalition of rebels at the end of 2024.
Another factor is “the EU’s efforts to cooperate with countries of origin and transit.” On the other hand, the war in the Middle East during these last six months “has not translated into an increase in asylum applications” in the Twenty-seven.
Three quarters of the applications for international protection registered between January and June 2026 corresponded to four countries: France, Italy, Spain and Germany.
In previous reports, these four countries together accounted for four-fifths of the applications, which means that smaller countries are also registering thousands of applications.
This is the case of Greece, an EU country that receives the most applications in proportion to its population, according to the European agency.
Less than a third of Applications processed during the first six months of the year were accepted, The EUAA specified, stressing that this should have an impact on future applications.
Under European rules that came into force in June, applicants from countries whose recognition rate is less than 20% are subject to an accelerated procedure, accompanied by a rapid return in case of rejection.
