Just 410 asylum claims lodged in Malta in 2017 to date

Just 410 asylum seekers, the majority Libyans and Syrians, requested international protection in Malta in 2017 to date.

A total of 120 Libyan nationals, 110 Syrian nationals and 80 Somalis were first time applicants for asylum in Malta this year, statistics from Eurostat show.

A total of 1,240 individuals applied for asylum in 2016 in Malta.

Malta had the second-highest rate of registered first-time applicants per million population, after Greece, which registered 981 first-time applicants per million inhabitants in 2017.

Figures from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees show that 10.9 per cent of asylum seekers received refugee status in Malta in 2016. 66.8 per cent of applicants were awarded subsidiary protection in 2016.

“With 21,000 first time applicants between April and June 2017, Syrians remained the main citizenship of people seeking international protection in EU member states,” Eurostat statistics said.

958,300 applications for asylum protection in the EU Member States are still under consideration by EU national authorities, down by 13% compared with June 2016. Germany holds the largest share in the EU, followed by Italy (134,300) and Sweden (67,000).

149,000 first time asylum seekers applied for international protection in Europe during the second quarter of 2017, generating an 11% decrease compared with the first quarter of 2017, when 166,500 first time applicants were registered.