Milion ljudi čeka odluku o azilu u EU uprkos manjem broju novih zahteva

The number of persons seeking asylum for the first time in the European Union fell noticeably in February 2026, but the European asylum system continues to suffer a heavy burden, as around 1.2 million requests are awaiting a decision, according to Eurostat data. According to these data, 46,420 first requests for international protection of citizens of countries outside the Union were registered in February, which is 21 percent less than in February last year and nine percent less than in January

At the end of February, 1.20 million requests were waiting for a decision in the EU, which is a slight increase compared to the month before, when there were 1.19 million. However, if compared to February 2025, the number of pending cases is four percent lower. Germany had the most pending requests (291,245), followed by Spain (251,140) and Italy (237,485). Those three countries alone had about 780,000 pending cases, or approximately two thirds of all pending claims in the EU. The largest group among persons who requested asylum for the first time in February were citizens of Venezuela (6,835), which means that they accounted for almost 15 percent of all first requests in the EU that month. They are followed by citizens of Afghanistan (4,325), Bangladesh (3,450) and Egypt (1,815). Although it is a European asylum system, the pressure is not evenly distributed. Italy, Spain, France and Germany received a total of 77 percent of all first requests for asylum in the EU. When the number of requests is considered in relation to the size of the population, Greece had the highest rate (34.3 requests per 100,000 inhabitants), followed by Spain (21.2) and Ireland (18.4). In addition to the first requests, 9,080 repeated requests for asylum were also registered in February. That is 12 percent more than in February last year. However, compared to January of this year, the number of repeated requests decreased by four percent.

Key points

• At the end of February, 1.20 million requests were waiting for a decision in the EU, which is a slight increase compared to the month before, when there were 1.19 million.
• However, if compared to February 2025, the number of pending cases is four percent lower.
• Germany had the most pending requests (291,245), followed by Spain (251,140) and Italy (237,485).
• Those three countries alone had about 780,000 pending cases, or approximately two thirds of all pending claims in the EU.
• The largest group among persons who requested asylum for the first time in February were citizens of Venezuela (6,835), which means that they accounted for almost 15 percent of all first requests i…