Venezuelans become the most numerous asylum seekers in the EU in 2025
In the entire EU, 399,000 asylum applications were submitted in the first half of 2025, a 23% decrease compared to the previous year.
The document from the European Asylum Agency, based in Malta, also reveals that Spain became the second EU country with the most asylum applications submitted between January and June, only surpassed by France.
At the end of June, France (78,000) and Spain (77,000) topped those applications, while Germany ranked third with 70,000 applications. They were followed by Italy (64,000) and Greece (27,000).
By nationality, asylum applications in the Twenty-Seven from Syrian citizens fell drastically (a decrease of 66%), but those from Venezuelans increased (by 31% compared to the same period last year).
The decrease in applicants in Germany was mainly explained, the report reveals, by the decline in applications from Syrian citizens, following the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, said on social media that the data reveals a “significant drop” in asylum applications and added that with the Migration and Asylum Pact, “more efficient” procedures are being introduced that will allow for faster processing of applications with “little chance of success.”
“Our spring proposals will strengthen cooperation with third countries, ensuring the effectiveness of returns and reducing pressure on our asylum systems,” Brunner added.
VENEZUELANS
The European Asylum Agency explained that Venezuelans tend to apply for asylum in Spain “due to the common language, the existing diaspora, and the tendency of Spanish authorities to grant them national protection.”
In fact, citizens of Venezuela submitted almost all of their applications in Spain (93%).
Asylum applications from Venezuelans in Spain rose by almost a third (29%), compared to the first half of 2024.
Aside from Venezuelans, applications from Ukrainian citizens also increased (by 29%) (16,000 in total in the EU).
France accounted for almost half of all Ukrainian asylum applications, while Poland received almost a third of the total.
The European Asylum Agency considers these numbers low given that at the end of June there were 4.3 million Ukrainians in the EU enjoying temporary protection due to the war. EFE
