Bulgaria Boasts Highest Recognition Rate of Asylum Applications in EU

Refugees at the accommodation centre in the Bulgarian town of Harmanli. Photo: BGNES

Bulgaria boasted the highest rate of positive decisions on asylum applications in the European Union (EU) in 2014.

The EU average rate of recognition was 45 %, while the corresponding figure for Bulgaria was more than double, standing at 94 %.

Out of 7435 total decisions on asylum applications in 2014, Bulgarian authorities recognised 7000 and rejected only 430.

Out of the positive decisions, 5165 people were granted refugee status and 1840 received subsidiary protection.

Being the most populous EU member state, Germany had the highest number of acceptances in absolute terms.

Sweden had the highest number of accepted applications as a proportion of the country's total population.

Bulgaria is ninth in the absolute number of accepted applications and came sixth in the number of acceptances as a proportion of its population.

The figures of Eurostat, which were featured in a recent chart of The Economist, refer to first-instance decisions only.

The highest number of asylum applicants in Bulgaria originated from Syria, followed by citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Stateless persons constituted the four largest group, while citizens of Pakistan came fifth.

 

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