The acceptance rate of Turks in the EU is declining

The European Union Agency for Asylum noted that in the first half of 2023, asylum applications increased by 28 percent compared to the same period last year.

The acceptance rate of Turkish applicants, which was 54 percent in 2019, decreased to 28 percent in 2023.

According to the news reported by Euronews Turkish, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) announced that the number of asylum applications registered in the EU countries, Norway and Switzerland increased by 28 percent in the first half of 2023. Between January and the end of June, approximately 519,000 asylum applications were submitted in these 29 countries. The agency estimated that “based on current trends, applications could exceed 1 million by the end of the year.”

Syrians, Afghans, Venezuelans, Turks and Colombians accounted for 44 percent of the applications.

SYRIAN ACCEPTANCE 95 PERCENT

The report noted a slowdown in application processing in many European countries. Approximately 41 percent of the applications submitted in the first phase received a positive response. The number of cases pending decision increased by 34% compared to 2022.

About 95 percent of Syrians and about 58 percent of Afghans continued to receive international protection.

The report notes that Turkey’s application acceptance rate has steadily decreased over the past four years. The acceptance rate was 41 percent in May 2022.

In the same period, applications from Turkey increased by two thirds, with 5,400 people compared to May last year. In the first six months of 2023, 34,025 people applied for asylum from Turkey.

On the other hand, the acceptance rate of asylum applications from Russians and Iranians increased. The acceptance rate for Russians has risen from 20 percent in 2021 to 35 percent this year. Likewise, for Iran, this rate has risen from 31 percent in 2020 to 47 percent this year.

Meanwhile, asylum applications in the first half of the year reached the highest level since 2015-2016.