EU sees drop in asylum applications in 2024; Italy bucks trend as critical issues persist

Brussels – There was a decrease in irregular arrivals in the EU in 2024, with a drop in the number of applications for international protection. For EU states and Schengen-area associates (Norway and Switzerland), therefore, migratory pressure is decreasing, says the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA), in its 2025 Annual Report, complete with numbers and trends for the previous year. On a general level, the report shows that the number of asylum applications decreased by 11 percent compared to 2023, with 1,014,420 applications filed, down from 1,143,437 the previous year. 

Nina Gregori, executive director of the EUAA, presented the report to members of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) today. Germany (237,000 applications), Spain (169,000), Italy and France (159,000 applications each), and Greece (75,000) are the countries with the highest number of applications for international protection. Alone, these five countries account for 78% of the total number submitted throughout Europe in 2024, a year that, in some respects, marks a turning point in how migration flows to the EU are being managed. On the one hand, the EU Asylum Agency emphasizes the need to respond to the use of migration as a political weapon. “Several countries that have faced the instrumentalisation of migrants have closed parts of their borders and introduced stricter border protection regimes“, notes the EUAA’s annual report. By doing so, the number of entries, arrivals, and even protection claims has decreased. Not only that: “The new reality has triggered legislative changes in several countries to allow the activation of special measures.” 

On the other hand, in the course of and at the end of 2024, “there has been a significant decrease of 38 percent in irregular border crossings at the EU’s external borders, in particular on the Central Mediterranean and Western Balkan routes, thanks to regional efforts to reduce irregular migration and counter trafficking networks.” The fight against flows considered illegal is therefore bearing fruit, but not for Italy, the destination of the central Mediterranean route.

Italy, 2024, confirms the critical issues

In 2024, Italy saw an increase in applications for international protection (+17 percent), which worsened the legal and bureaucratic backlog caused by the number of pending decisions (from over 162,000 to more than 227,000). This situation is also explained by the traditional and structural limitations of a country that, nonetheless, continues to experience shortcomings. According to the Annual Report, in 2024, Italy recorded an increase in asylum applications and a reduction in personnel. It is also why the state of emergency decreed in 2023 for increased migration flows remained in force and was extended for 2025. Access to the asylum procedure remained a key issue, as reported by civil society organizations. There are, therefore, migrants who fail to apply for protection. In addition, the EU agency reports, “difficulties in reception conditions have continued, with civil society organizations noting significant housing shortages.” At the same time, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture has noted poor conditions in pre-removal centers.

The agreement between Italy and Albania, therefore, net of doubts and controversies, has not ended up helping the Meloni government handle the issue of migratory flows as desired, and there is still work to be done for the country’s framework.