Number of Georgian asylum seekers in EU decreases

The number of Georgian citizens seeking asylum in EU member states has significantly decreased, the Chair of the Committee on European Integration of the Georgian Parliament Tamar Khulordava said.

As she pointed out, the situation has significantly improved in Germany where the number of asylum seekers has concerned local politicians and has posed something of a threat to the visa-free regime with the EU.

"We are working with Germany to bring Georgia onto the list of secure countries. There is the political will expressed by the German entities but this is a process requiring a certain period of time. Due to the fact that Germany is a federal republic, the decision should be approved at the level of the federal lands as well. Germany recognises that Georgia should be on the list of secure countries. Now there are a number of bureaucratic procedures that need to be implemented,” Khulordava said.

In May 2018, only 176 Georgian citizens asked for asylum in Germany, while the figure in April was up to 700.

Between January-May of this year, 2,263 Georgian citizens asked for asylum in Germany, which makes for 3,3 percent of all requests for asylum status in the country.