The first half of 2025 saw a sharp decline in asylum applications across Europe, with Germany experiencing a nearly 50% drop compared to last year.
According to German media reports citing data from the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA), Germany received 65,495 asylum applications between January and June 2025, marking a 43% decrease from the same period in 2024.
German Interior Minister Volker Dobrindt credited the drop to successful migration policy reforms, pledging continued efforts to overhaul the system.
Across Europe, Spain received the highest number of asylum claims in the first half of 2025 with over 76,000 applications, followed by France (75,428), Germany (65,495), Italy (62,534), Greece (27,718), and Belgium (around 17,000). Hungary, Slovakia, and Lithuania reported very low numbers due to stricter immigration policies.
Among asylum seekers in Germany, Afghan nationals made up about 22%, Syrians 20%, and Turkish citizens 11%. Russians were the fifth largest group, accounting for just over 3%. Overall, nearly 400,000 people applied for asylum across EU countries, Norway, and Switzerland in the first six months of 2025.
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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Thousands of residents of Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the government’s handling of a migration crisis that followed a deadly border surge in July.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Southern Chinese provinces were bracing for more torrential rain on Friday after Typhoon Saudel triggered severe flooding, swamping vehicles, collapsing at least one building and forcing mass evacuations.
President Donald Trump is leaving more than a paper trail from his time in office. The U.S. is now minting commemorative $1 coins for America’s 250th anniversary, featuring a portrait of the sitting president.
Pacific Island leaders expressed concern about China's Pacific missile test at their annual summit, though Nauru formally dissented, in a meeting largely overshadowed by Beijing's objections to Taiwan's presence.
China’s southern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong are bracing for more torrential rain after Typhoon Saudel triggered widespread flooding, swept away vehicles and caused a three-storey building to collapse.
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