Malta last year had the highest rate of asylum applications in the EU when compared to population size, EU figures issued today show.
The rate of applications registered in Malta was 5,800 'per million inhabitants' followed by Cyprus(3 300), Sweden (2 600), Belgium (2 000) and Austria (1 900).
In 2009, there were nearly 261 000 asylum applicants registered in the EU27, or 520 applicants per million inhabitants. The main countries of citizenship of these applicants were Afghanistan (20 400 or 8% of the total number of applicants), Russia (20 100 or 8%), Somalia (19 100 or 7%), Iraq (18 700 or 7%) and Kosovo.
Highest number of applicants recorded in France, Germany and UK
In 2009, the highest number of applicants were registered in France (47 600 applicants) followed by Germany (31 800), the United Kingdom3 (30 300), Sweden (24 200), Belgium (21 600), Italy (17 500), the Netherlands (16 100), Greece (15 900) and Austria (15 800).
In some Member States, a large proportion of the applicants came from a single country. The Member States with the highest concentrations were Malta (60% of the applicants came from Somalia), Lithuania (54% from Russia), Poland (54% from Russia), Hungary (38% from Kosovo) and the Netherlands (37% from Somalia).
First instance decisions
In 2009 in the EU27, 229 500 first instance decisionswere made on asylum applications. There were 166 900 rejections (73% of decisions), 27 600 applicants (12%) were granted refugee status, 26 200 (11%) subsidiary protection and 8 900 (4%) were granted authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons. It should be noted that first instance decisions made in 2009 may refer to applications registered in previous years.
The proportion of positive decisions varies considerably among Member States, with Malta the mst generous.
First instance decisions, 2009
| Total decisions | Positive decisions | Of which: | Rejections | |||
| Refugee status | Subsidiary protection | Humanitarian reasons | ||||
| EU27 | 229 510 | 62 650 | 27 630 | 26 165 | 8 855 | 166 860 |
| Belgium | 14 365 | 2 910 | 2 425 | 480 | - | 11 460 |
| Bulgaria | 645 | 270 | 40 | 230 | - | 375 |
| Czech Republic | 530 | 100 | 60 | 20 | 20 | 430 |
| Denmark | 1 650 | 790 | 350 | 345 | 95 | 860 |
| Germany | 26 780 | 9 765 | 8 155 | 405 | 1 205 | 17 015 |
| Estonia | 25 | 5 | 5 | 0 | - | 20 |
| Ireland | 4 040 | 1 030 | 105 | 40 | 885 | 3 010 |
| Greece | 14 350 | 165 | 35 | 105 | 25 | 14 185 |
| Spain | 4 480 | 350 | 180 | 160 | 10 | 4 135 |
| France | 35 295 | 5 050 | 3 910 | 1 145 | - | 30 240 |
| Italy | 22 000 | 8 440 | 2 115 | 4 845 | 1 480 | 13 560 |
| Cyprus | 3 855 | 1 130 | 50 | 1 040 | 40 | 2 725 |
| Latvia | 40 | 10 | 0 | 5 | - | 35 |
| Lithuania | 145 | 40 | 10 | 30 | - | 100 |
| Lux |
465 | 110 | 110 | 0 | - | 355 |
| Hungary | 1 805 | 390 | 170 | 60 | 155 | 1 415 |
| Malta | 2 575 | 1 690 | 20 | 1 660 | 10 | 885 |
| N'lands | 16 355 | 7 905 | 695 | 3 270 | 3 940 | 8 455 |
| Austria | 14 815 | 3 220 | 1 885 | 1 335 | - | 11 600 |
| Poland | 6 580 | 2 525 | 130 | 2 330 | 65 | 4 055 |
| Portugal | 95 | 50 | 5 | 45 | - | 45 |
| Romania | 540 | 115 | 50 | 10 | 55 | 430 |
| Slovenia | 130 | 20 | 15 | 5 | - | 110 |
| Slovakia | 315 | 180 | 15 | 135 | 30 | 140 |
| Finland | 2 650 | 960 | 75 | 805 | 80 | 1 690 |
| Sweden | 23 930 | 7 095 | 1 480 | 4 970 | 640 | 16 840 |
| United Kingdom | 31 040 | 8 350 | 5 545 | 2 685 | 125 | 22 690 |
| Iceland | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 25 |
| Liech | 80 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 75 |
| Norway | 14 700 | 4 510 | 1 755 | 1 630 | 1 125 | 10 190 |
| Swiss | 12 695 | 6 025 | 2 505 | 735 | 2 780 | 6 670 |