The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has published its latest analysis of the most recent asylum trends in Europe. In addition to COVID-19 related issues, EASO also highlighted a surge of asylum seekers coming to the EU from Belarus.
In the first nine months of the year, significantly fewer migrants have come to Europe from Turkey by irregular means. That's according to a German media report that cites EU sources, which also revealed that Germany is no longer receiving the most asylum requests in Europe.
In its annual report on the confinement of foreigners in waiting areas at French entry points such as ports, airports and train stations, the National Association of Border Assistance once again denounced discriminatory practices against foreigners.
The German interior ministry announced on Wednesday that a total of 139 migrants had been flown in to Hanover aiport from Greece. The flight included 51 unaccompanied minors, residents of Moria before the fire, and 88 people comprising 17 children with medical needs and their immediate families.
There have been mixed reactions to the new EU pact on migration. The European Commission sought consensus ahead of the pact in order to pass the policy into law even through countries which had been resisting the idea of mandatory quotas. Many human rights organizations though have slammed the proposals.
A German national is on trial after promoting the illegal practice of "civil society asylum" on a website under his name. Among other means, he is alleged to have advocated hiding rejected asylum seekers in private homes.
A human rights activist and former immigration detainee has warned that Europe is trying to copy Australia’s harsh asylum system. He says asylum seekers held in Australia's offshore processing centers suffer psychological abuse, trauma and racism.
The number of applications for asylum in Europe has almost halved since COVID-19 containment measures came into effect. Syrians and Afghans continue to make up the biggest groups seeking protection.
Unaccompanied minors made up 7% of all asylum applications in 2019, according to the EU's statistics office, Eurostat. The number, however, is about 20% down from applications filed the previous year.
Divided Cyprus, split by a demarcation line not recognized as a border, has become a popular destination for migrants in recent years. Now, the government has introduced a series of measures to curtail the number of arrivals. Separately, it closed four of nine border crossing points with the northern part of the island over coronavirus fears last week.
Despite the falling numbers, the country still logs the largest share of all EU asylum claims. Around a quarter of asylum requests in the bloc this year were filed in Germany.
Eurostat said the EU has experienced a 12% increase in first asylum requests in the third quarter of 2019 - compared to numbers from the previous quarter. For the first time, asylum seekers from Venezuela are in the top three of nationalities submitting asylum requests.