Countries of destination

The number of asylum seekers arriving in Austria has been steadily decreasing in the last five years. The ‘Alien Law package’ in force as of 1st January 2006 implements the EU Qualification Directive which sets minimum standards for determining who qualifies as a refugee.

Belgium has seen a dramatic rise in the number of asylum seekers from Iraq, followed by Serbia Montenegro, Nepal, Armenia and Rwanda. In 2005, a third of all asylum applications were made by women. Since the beginning of 2005, asylum seekers have been more systematically detained in order to facilitate the transfer of Dublin cases to other EU countries.

The number of people claiming asylum in the Czech Republic has significantly decreased in the last four years. In 2004, legislation was passed to amend the Czech Asylum Act and transpose the EU Directive on Minimum Standards for the Reception of Asylum Seekers and the EU Directive implementing the Dublin Regulation. As of March 2006, all asylum seekers who have been in the asylum procedure for more than one year and are not living in refugee reception centres are entitled to social benefits.

Since 2002, Germany has seen a steady reduction in the number of asylum applications. The majority of people claiming asylum come from Iraq, Serbia and Montenegro. Asylum seekers in Germany can not work for 12 months and even then may only be employed if the vacancy cannot be filled by a German national or EU citizen.

Asylum applications in Greece rose significantly in 2001 but have been declining in the last three years. Most asylum seekers come from Iraq, but there has been a substantial increase in the number of claimants from Bangladesh, Palestine, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In 2005, the number of asylum applications in Hungary increased slightly, but the overall number remains very low, allegedly due to a strict detention regime and tight border control measures. The majority of asylum seekers come from Vietnam, Bangladesh and China.

The number of asylum applications in Italy has risen sharply in the last three years. Although the majority of applicants come from African countries, there has been a significant rise in the number of people arriving from Serbia and Montenegro. Italy has transposed the EU Directive on minimum standards for reception of asylum seekers.

The number of people claiming asylum in Malta has increased by approximately 20% in the last two years. Most asylum seekers come from Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan. Asylum seekers are detained on arrival for up to 18 months. Asylum seekers have the right to work after 12 months, but the necessary permit documents are expensive, valid for only 3 months at a time, and issued with long delays.

The number of asylum applications in the Netherlands has been increasing since 2004. Most asylum seekers come from Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan, with a sharp rise in the number of applications from Colombia. In 2005, the Dutch authorities made 2,500 requests to transfer asylum seekers to other Member States under the Dublin system and itself received 2,729 requests.

The number of asylum claims in Poland increased dramatically between 2001 and 2003, but has since stabilised. An overwhelming majority of asylum seekers come from the Russian Federation, and those granted refugee status are almost exclusively of Chechen origin. Recently applications from asylum seekers from Ukraine and Belarus have increased.

In 2002, Spain introduced strict migration control measures and visa requirements for Cubans and Colombians and the number of asylum applications plummeted. Since then, the rate of applicants has been decreasing by approximately 6% every year. Most asylum seekers still come from Colombia, followed by applicants from the Russian Federation.

The number of asylum seekers arriving in the UK has been declining steadily since 2002. The majority of people claiming asylum in the UK come from Iran, while the number of applications from Eritrea and Afghanistan has been rising.