SPAIN had the third-highest number of requests within the European Union for asylum in 2023, but it recorded the bloc’s lowest figure for approving applications.
The statistics come from the annual report from the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid(CEAR) which was published on Monday.
It said that there was a 56% increase in the number of applications pending resolution in 2023.
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“191,095 people in Spain are waiting for a decision on which their lives depend”, the report said.
The study claims just 12% of applicants were granted asylum- placing it 30% below the European Union average rate.
Applications for international protection for migrants who cannot return to their country because they are persecuted for different reasons or because they would face serious harm in their country increased in 2023 by 37.3%.
That’s the highest figure since current records began, despite what CEAR said were ‘serious obstacles’ that exist in trying to go through the asylum process.
The director of CEAR, Monica Lopez, stressed that Germany (351,510) and France (166,880) were ahead of Spain in applications last year, but that contrasted with Spain actually accepting people.
The report shows that it resolved the fewest applications favourably in percentage terms- falling from 16.5% in 2022 to 12% in 2023.
The director general of CEAR, Mauricio Valiente, described the percentage figure as ‘really low’.
