France Surpasses Germany As Europe’s Top Asylum Destination So Far This Year

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

Germany is no longer the leading destination for asylum seekers in Europe, according to an internal EU Commission report accessed by Welt am Sonntag.

In the first quarter of the year, asylum applications in Germany dropped by 41 percent compared to the same period in 2024, falling to just over 37,000.

France received the most applications (40,871), followed by Spain (39,318).

The decline has pushed Germany down to third place among European countries, as migration flows shift across the continent.

In contrast, Hungary and Slovakia received the fewest asylum requests at just 22 and 37 applications, respectively.

Across the EU, along with Norway and Switzerland, authorities registered over 210,000 asylum applications in the first quarter — a decrease of 19 percent year-on-year.

The latest data reveals significant changes in where asylum seekers are coming from. Venezuelan nationals filed the most applications so far this year, marking a 44 percent rise. Afghans and Syrians followed, though notably, the number of Syrian applicants has dropped by over half compared to last year. Similar declines were recorded for applicants from Colombia and Turkey.

Despite the drop in Syrian requests, however, Germany remained the go-to destination for those heading to Europe — more than half of all Syrian applications across the EU were submitted in Germany, accounting for a quarter of all asylum applications in the country.

Afghan and Turkish nationals made up significant portions as well, while France has emerged as the main destination for Ukrainian asylum seekers, whose numbers rose by 84 percent.

Sweeping asylum reforms will change the landscape further next year with the implementation of the EU’s controversial migration pact. The legislation obliges all member states to take their fair share of asylum seekers or pay financial penalties for each migrant they refuse to the tune of €20,000 per person.

Brussels is also exploring the viability of offshore processing centers, following the lead of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her deal with Albania, though no major progress on this plan has been made to date.

The migration pact has been met with stiff opposition, particularly in Eastern European nations where socially conservative views are more represented at a national level.

Both Hungary and Slovakia have refused to comply with the redistribution of migrants, while Poland has also expressed its unwillingness to cooperate.

“We won’t build camps in Hungary. Our voters have given us a clear mandate against this,” Hungary’s Minister for European Affairs, János Bóka, told Welt am Sonntag.

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