EU asylum requests drop to five-year low
This file photo shows the fence on the border between Finland, Russia. (AFP Photo)
Asylum applications to the EU dropped to a five-year-low in the first half of 2026, continuing a downward trend partly brought about by a hardening of migration policy, the bloc's asylum agency said on Sept. 10.
The European Union plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+) received 332,000 applications for international protection from January to June, 17 percent fewer than in the same period last year.
"This is the lowest number recorded in the first half of a year since 2021," the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said.
