Significant drop in asylum applications in EU -- report

BRUSSELS, Feb 1 (KUNA) -- EU countries has recorded 706,913 asylum applications in 2017, decreasing 43 percent compared to 2016, and the second consecutive year with fewer applications after the unprecedented influx in 2015 and 2016, the European Asylum Support Office reported Thursday.
About 55,000 applications, or 8 percent of the total, were repeated applications by persons who had already lodged an application previously in the same EU country.
Syria was the most common country of origin of applicants for the fifth consecutive year, with more than 98,000 applications.
Iraqi, Afghan and Nigerian nationals each lodged more than 40,000 applications in 2017. These four main countries of origin together constituted one in three applications throughout the EU in 2017.
The top ten countries of origin also included Pakistan, Eritrea, Albania, Bangladesh, Guinea and Iran. (end) nk.ss