asylum applications in EU countries, where Kosovars rank

Albanian citizens continue to lead in the report with other citizens from Western Balkan countries for the high number of asylum applications in European countries.

According to the latest European Agency for Asylum report, published on Friday, Albanians submitted about 892 asylum applications to European Union countries during November 2023 alone.

Albanians are followed by citizens from Northern Macedonia, with 711 applications, citizens from Serbia who had submitted 507 requests -- from Kosovo with 281 requests -- from Bosnia with 127 requests and from Montenegro with 30 asylum requests.

According to the report, the trend of all citizens from the Balkans is to seek asylum in three European Union countries: France, Germany and Italy. Albanians also have the highest number of asylum applications pending in European Union countries to consider.

Thus, according to European Agency for Asylum data, 3278 Albanian citizens are awaiting review of asylum requirements, while from citizens from Northern Macedonia there are 2146 requests -- from Serbia -- 1250 requests -- from Kosovo 966 requests -- from Bosnia and Herzegovina 540 and Montenegro are 118 requests.

All asylum requests from Western Balkan countries reviewed in the countries of the European Union have an extremely low level of accession.

Thus, according to the report, Albanians have only 0.05 % of the reviewed requests that have been accepted, while none of the Balkan countries exceed 1% of the accepted asylum requirements. The European Agency for Asylum said that November European Union countries received 118,000 asylum applications.

As for the period from January to November 2023 asylum applications in the European Union went to over 1 million, a level that recalls according to the European Agency for Asylum, the 2015-2016 refugee crisis.

In November 2023 Germany retained its position as the main destination for asylum seekers in the European Union countries, receiving nearly a third of all asylum applications that were presented in European Union countries. / VOA