| Series Title | European Voice |
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| Series Details | Vol.9, No.41, 4.12.03, p4 |
| Publication Date | 04/12/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
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Date: 04/12/03 ASYLUM applications in the EU were up by 14% during the period July to September compared to the previous quarter, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). However, the figure for the year to date is 21% lower than at the same period last year. With 23,681 applications over the first nine months, Russians - the great majority of whom are believed to be Chechens - have taken over from the Iraqis (21,610) as the top group of asylum-seekers. More than half of the Russian asylum claims have been lodged in just three countries - Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. Germany, Norway, Slovakia and Belgium have also received sizeable numbers of asylum applications from Russian citizens. The UNHCR report, covering 29 industrialized countries, found that the UK had the largest number of asylum-seekers over the nine-month period, with 47,900, followed by the US with 43,600, Germany with 38,900 and France with 37,200. By comparison with the first nine months of last year, the number of applications in the UK has dropped by 39%, the US by 32%, and Germany by 28%. France received almost exactly the same number as in the same period in 2002. With the exception of Greece (up 64%), Poland (up 63%) and the Czech Republic (up 27%), all other major receiving nations have received similar or smaller numbers of asylum-seekers than during the first nine months of 2002. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there were 23,681 asylum applications in the European Union from Russians in the first nine months of 2003 - the great majority of these are believed to be Chechens. |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs |
| Countries / Regions | Russia |
