Analysis released by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) on the first half of 2023 reveals a continuation of more asylum applications being lodged in the EU. In addition, approximately 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, currently benefit from Temporary Protection. 

These trends pose significant challenges to EU+ asylum and reception systems authorities, so much so that by June 2023, the EUAA was offering operational assistance to 13 Member States, including Belgium.

The EUAA also stresses the following key elements, inter alia:

• The number of cases awaiting decisions also increased by 34 % from 2022. 
   
• Syrians continued to lodge the most applications for asylum in the EU+ in the first half of 2023: they lodged 67.000 applications.
   
• Of the decisions in the EU+ taken at first instance, around 41 % granted either refugee status or subsidiary protection. 
   
• Some recognition rates have undergone significant changes, these include Turkish applicants who, for four years, have steadily been granted protection less often (down to 28 % from 54 % in 2019), and Russians and Iranians who have been granted international protection more frequently (up to 35 % from 20 % in 2021 for the former, and up to 47 % from 31 % in 2020 for the latter).
   
• The first half of 2023 also saw a notable uptake in asylum applications from Ivorian (9.300) and Guinean (8.700) nationals in the EU+. However, taken together, applications by these two nationalities still only accounted for 3.5 % of the overall figure.

For detailed information, please read the press release from the EUAA.