Venezuelans surpass Syrians as top asylum seekers in the EU

In the first half of 2025, citizens of Venezuela emerged as the most numerous asylum seekers within the European Union, surpassing Syrian nationals who had dominated the asylum landscape for the past decade. According to the latest report from the European Asylum Agency based in Malta, there were 399,000 asylum applications submitted across the EU in this timeframe, marking a 23% decrease compared to the same period in the previous year. This decline was largely attributed to a dramatic 66% reduction in applications from Syrian citizens, stemming from the shifting political landscape in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. In contrast, Venezuelan asylum applications saw a significant rise of 31%, and most of these applications (93%) were submitted in Spain. The report highlighted Spain as the second highest recipient of asylum applications, falling just behind France, which received a total of 78,000 applications, compared to Spain’s 77,000. Germany followed with 70,000 applications, while Italy and Greece received 64,000 and 27,000, respectively. The increase in Venezuelan asylum applications can be attributed to factors such as a shared language, the presence of a Venezuelan diaspora in Spain, and a more favorable stance from Spanish authorities in granting national protection. Furthermore, during the same period, asylum applications from Ukrainian citizens also rose by 29%, totaling 16,000 in the EU, with France and Poland being the leading recipients of these applications. Despite the alarming numbers, the European Asylum Agency described these figures as relatively low, especially considering the approximately 4.3 million Ukrainians in the EU who were already enjoying temporary protection due to ongoing conflict in their home country. European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, commented on the situation via social media, indicating that the recent data reflects a “significant drop” in overall asylum applications. He noted that the ongoing Migration and Asylum Pact aims to implement more efficient procedures which would expedite processing times and potentially limit the chances of approval for certain applications. Additionally, Brunner mentioned proposals aimed at enhancing cooperation with third countries, as a way to improve the efficacy of returns and alleviate the pressure on EU asylum systems. The shifts in asylum seeking patterns further illustrate the evolving refugee landscape in Europe and underline the significant impact of geopolitical changes in countries like Syria and Venezuela.