Malta, which was among the top three southern European countries affected by migration from Tunisia and Libya received, 1,632 asylum applications between January and June, according to a United Nations report.
The bulk of applications were filed in April when Malta received 1,126 requests for asylum, followed by 367 applications in June, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says.
Malta, Italy and Turkey were the three countries in southern Europe that had the highest number of asylum seekers in the first half of this year.
The report shows that 198,300 asylum applications were filed in the period under review compared to 169,300 filed in the same period last year.
As application rates usually peak in the second half of the year, the UNHCR forecasts that 420,000 applications could be filed by the end of the year, the highest in the past eight years.
The report points out that this year was characterised by “major forced displacement crises in West, North, and East Africa”, including the uprisings in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. In fact, this led to increased requests for asylum with about 4,600 from Tunisians, 3,300 from Ivorians and 2,000 from Libyans.
“While a relatively modest number of people fleeing North Africa came to Europe, the highest relative increase was recorded for Tunisian and Libyan citizens,” the report notes.
The highest increase in asylum applications was registered in Southern Europe, which received 25,100 such requests in the first six months of 2011, a 57 per cent increase compared to the 16,000 claims applications in the same period last year.
“This year has been one of displacement crises unlike any other I have seen in my time as High Commissioner,” UNHCR head António Guterres says. “Their impact on asylum claims in industrialised countries seems to have been lower so far than might have been expected because most of those who fled went to neighbouring countries.
However, we are grateful that the industrialised states have continued to respect the right of people to have their claims to asylum heard.”
Europe was the continent that registered the highest number of claims with 73 per cent of all asylum applications. By country, the United States received 36,400 applications, more than any other industrialised country. It was followed by France, with 26,100 requests, Germany, 20,100, Sweden, 12,600, and the United Kingdom, 12,200.