Greece, Cyprus, Germany and the Austria bear a disproportionate – in relation to their population – burden when it comes to hosting asylum seekers, according to a confidential document published by the BILD newspaper.

As the list shows, Greece accepts 6.81%while, according to the “fair distribution” within the European Union, it accounts for 1.9%, while Cyprus receives 1.36% even though it would account for only 0.18%. At the top of the list is Germany, which accepts 35.42% of all applicants, although it accounts for 22.05%. Austria undertakes 4.85%, while it should be limited to 2.46%.

The German newspaper also claims that, according to its information, the Netherlands, which receives 0.64% while it would receive 1.64%, is seeking to apply a distribution rule based not on the population of each country, but on its economic power. However, one of the most glaring examples concerns Poland, which accepts 0.86% of all applications, although it should – based on the population criterion – accept 6.25%.

BILD still hosts statements of the Minister of Immigration Policy Notis Mitarakis, who points out that “in the first months of 2023, arrivals increased by 177% compared to the previous year, while if you look at the numbers of new immigrants from January 2022 to January 2023 the situation is even more dramatic, with an increase of 278%”. Mr. Mitarakis is also asking, the newspaper reports, for comprehensive assistance from the EU, especially in the region affected by the earthquakes in Turkey, in order to prevent even greater migratory pressure from that region.