In 2012, 407 300 decisions on asylum applications were made in the EU27, of which 274 500 were first instance decisions and 132 800 final decisions on appeal. Decisions made at the first instance resulted in 77 300 persons being granted protection status, while a further 25 400 received protection status on appeal. In total, of the 102 700 persons who were granted protection status in 2012, 51 400 persons were granted refugee status (50% of all positive decisions), 37 100 subsidiary protection (36%) and 14 200 authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons (14%). In addition, the EU27 Member States received 4 500 resettled refugees.
The rate of recognition of asylum applicants, i.e. the share of positive decisions in the total number of decisions, was 28% for first instance decisions, split between refugee and subsidiary protection status (25%) and humanitarian status (3%). For final decisions on appeal the recognition rate was 19%, again split between refugee and subsidiary protection status (14%) and humanitarian status (5%). It should be noted that, while both refugee and subsidiary protection status are defined by EU law, humanitarian status is granted on the basis of national legislation.
Syrians, Afghans and Somalis largest groups granted protection status in the EU27
Syrians became in 2012 the single largest group of persons granted protection status in the EU27. Of the 18 700 Syrians granted protection status in the EU27, more than 70% were recorded in two Member States: Germany (8 400) and Sweden (5 000). Of the 13 500 Afghans granted protection, 3 200 were registered in Germany, 2 800 in Sweden, 1 900 in Austria and 1 500 in Belgium, and of the 8 100 Somalis, 2 100 were in Sweden and 1 100 each in Malta and the Netherlands.
