332,000 asylum claims filed across EU in first half of this year, down 17% from same period last year

Migrants attempting to cross from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta walk along a beach in July. [AP]
Migrants attempting to cross from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta walk along a beach in July. [AP]

The European Union's push to curb the flow of refugees and migrants through a series of tough new policies appears to be paying off. Asylum applications have sharply declined across the bloc.

According to Politico Europe on Wednesday (local time), EU member states and other countries in the passport-free Schengen area received 332,000 asylum applications in the first half of this year. The figure marks a 17 percent decrease from the same period last year.

The EU Asylum Agency is set to officially release the first-half asylum figures Thursday.

The decline is being attributed to a series of policies European countries have rolled out in recent months to tighten control over migrant arrivals and residency.

Earlier this year, European countries agreed to allow the establishment of return centers for migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected. These centers can be set up in third countries outside the EU, such as Albania and Rwanda.

Germany is also pushing to strengthen its authority to deport asylum seekers whose applications have been denied.

Amid these policy shifts, asylum applications filed in Germany this year plunged 50 percent from last year.

Sweden received just 8,485 asylum applications last year, the lowest figure in 40 years. Denmark's asylum applications from January through November last year totaled only 1,835, hitting a record low.

Illegal border crossings into Europe are also estimated to have fallen by about 55 percent over the past two years.

Despite these gains, far-right forces campaigning on anti-immigration platforms are gaining momentum across Europe.

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party shocked Europe by winning more than 40 percent of the vote in a state election on Sunday.

With major elections looming in France, Germany, Italy and elsewhere in Europe, governments are pressing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to highlight the effectiveness of the EU's new migration policy. They want her to do so in her State of the Union address scheduled for next week.

They want mainstream politicians to be able to show voters that they can effectively address concerns over immigration.

Magnus Brunner, the European commissioner for home affairs and migration, said, "The numbers speak for themselves. Europe's new migration policy is delivering results," adding, "We need to keep strengthening our efforts at Europe's borders."


mokiya@heraldcorp.com