Eurostat says the number of first-time refugee seekers in the EU fell by 17% in June

A report released on Friday by the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat showed that the number of first-time asylum requests in EU countries dropped in June. The main groups of people applying were Syrians, Venezuelans, and Afghans.

Eurostat found that across the 27 countries that make up the EU, there were 70,375 first-time asylum requests from people who were not EU members. This is 17% less than in June 2023.

The biggest group of applicants, 12%, were still Syrians. They were followed by Venezuelans and Afghans, with 9% and 8% of the total, respectively.

Eurostat said that more than three quarters of those applications came from Germany, Spain, Italy, and France. The other two percent came from children who were not with an adult.

But compared to the same time last year, the number of applications sent to Germany in June 2024 dropped by 27%, to 16,770. As the far right continues to gain power in Germany, the government is making it harder for people to come to the country.

Germany announced earlier this month that it would be tightening controls at its land borders for six months starting on September 16. The country is also working on a plan that will allow officials to turn away more migrants directly at its borders.

The Dutch government quickly responded by putting a stop to all new refugee requests as well. Most migrants and people looking for asylum come from areas of the Middle East that are in war.