Asylum applications of Albanian citizens in the EU increased by 68% over the summer when compared to the same period last year, bringing the total to 6860.
This figure, derived from preliminary Eurostat data, does not consider the up to 14,000 applications in the UK from January until the start of autumn.
While numbers are significantly higher than last year, they remain 41% lower than in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, according to criteria laid down by the European Commission, Albania should seek to reduce the number, not increase it.
France remains a preferred destination for Albanian asylum seekers, with almost half of the applications, followed by Germany with 12%.
Albanians, coming from a peaceful country of 2.7 million, made 1100 asylum applications in the EU in July, more than the 950 Ukrainians who are fleeing war in a nation of 43 million.
Overall, the number of applications from all nations in the EU during this period was up just 0.4%, showing that the Albanian increase is an anomaly.
In terms of the UK, where currently around 30% of Albanians are granted asylum, the Institute for Public Policy Research said that over 70% of all asylum seekers would see their cases granted if they were processed correctly.
Instead, they said, the UK is more focused on removing them from the country than adequately evaluating their applications.
“Our research shows that the overwhelming majority of people coming to the UK on small boats make a claim for asylum,” IPPR associate director Marley Morris said.
“We estimate that most people crossing the Channel would be successful in their asylum claims if they were properly considered,” he added, noting that “more people apply for asylum in France than the UK, but those crossing the Channel are likely to have specific reasons — for instance, they may have family or community ties in the UK.”
They said the UK government had focussed more on deterrent tactics, but this has failed.
More than 35,000 migrants — a record high — have crossed the English Channel this year, posing a significant challenge for the Conservative government, which is expected to take a hardline stance.
