France tops EU asylum applications in February, overtaking Germany

Nuremberg, Germany (dpa) – The number of new asylum applications in Germany was lower than in other European Union countries for the first time in months, dropping behind France and Spain in February, according to new data released on Monday.

A total of 12,775 asylum applications were filed in Germany in February, behind 13,080 registered in France and 12,975 in Spain, according to Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

In 2024, Germany registered a total of 250,615 asylum claims, a long way ahead of Spain with 166,175 and Italy with 158,605.

In March, the number of asylum applications filed in Germany dropped to 10,647, down by 19.7 percent compared to the previous month and down by 45.3 percent to the same month last year, due to a sharp decline in claims by immigrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Türkiye.

An EU-wide comparison is not yet available.

Migration has been high on the EU agenda for years, with many governments in the 27-nation bloc repeatedly calling for tougher rules to reduce the number of asylum seekers and irregular arrivals in the Union.

Just last month, the European Commission proposed tougher deportation rules and stricter controls to speed up the return of rejected asylum seekers and other migrants who don’t have a right to stay in the EU. (April 7)