European asylum statistics for July 1999

During the month of July, a total of 28,900 asylum applications were submitted in 18 European countries. This is a decrease of 15% over the month of June, when nearly 34,000 applications were lodged. The decrease is explained by the decline in the number of Yugoslav citizens applying for asylum. The number of Yugoslav asylum seekers was 40% less in July than in June. In July, 11,230 Yugoslav citizens (including Kosovars) applied for asylum, as compared with 18,740 in June. The decrease reflects the progressive stabilization of the situation in Kosovo.

In July as in previous months, Germany and Switzerland together received roughly 50% of all asylum applications (9,408 in Germany and 5,723 in Switzerland). However, these two countries received fully 73% of the applications lodged by Yugoslav citizens, including Kosovars. Nearly identical numbers of applications for asylum were lodged in July in Germany and in Switzerland by Yugoslav citizens, 4,160 in Switzerland and 4,043 in Germany.