The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in Nuremberg, Germany, has reported a significant decrease in new asylum applications in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
On Monday, the office announced that the number of applications submitted from January to March has fallen to 65,419, marking a 19.2% decrease from the previous year.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser commented on the figures, stating, “This demonstrates the impact of our efforts. We will continue to protect many people from war and terror while effectively reducing the number of individuals needing our protection.”
Faeser, a member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, explained that temporary border control measures have prevented 17,600 individuals from entering the country illegally since October last year.
These measures have also led to the arrest of over 700 smugglers, thanks to the vigilance of the Federal Police.
Faeser affirmed, “We will maintain these border controls as long as necessary to effectively and sustainably reduce irregular migration.”
The trend towards a decline in refugee numbers had been apparent since the start of the year, with asylum applications in March dropping by 10,000 compared to January.
According to BAMF, the majority of applications in the first quarter of 2024 came from Syrians, with nearly 20,000 applicants, followed by 10,198 Afghans and 10,119 Turks. Out of 80,561 initial and follow-up applications processed during this period, less than half (46.1%) were granted some form of protection.
Minister Faeser welcomed the European agreement on a common European Union (EU) asylum system, stating, “The common European asylum system is key to permanently relieving our municipalities.
This is achieved by deciding asylum applications at the external borders when there is only a slim chance of protection and by ensuring a fairer distribution within the EU.”
She added, “That is why it is of utmost importance that this migration agreement is now approved by the European Parliament.”
