
While the rates of asylum requests have decreased significantly in the first months of this year, compared to 2022, Albanian citizens continue to face high requests to return to their country of origin. According to Eurostat, 1,975 Albanian citizens were ordered to leave one of the countries of the European Union , ranking third after India and Georgia.
According to the Eurostat database, the largest returns were made by neighboring Greece, with 515, or 26% of the total. The second is France, with 325 returns, or 16.4% of the total. Third is Germany, with 260 returns, or 13.2% of the total. Sweden (110) and Austria (115) also have high returns.
According to Eurostat, in the first quarter of 2023, there were 27,880 nationals from non-EU countries returned to another country (including other EU countries) following an order to leave. Compared to the previous quarter (Q4 2022), returns increased but only slightly, by 0.4%, but if we compare the figures with the same quarter of 2022, returns increased significantly, by 37%.
In the same quarter, 111,275 non-EU nationals were ordered to leave an EU country, which represents a decrease of 10% compared to Q4 2022. Compared to the same quarter of 2022, this number increased by 24%.
Returns reported from EU countries
In the case of non-EU nationals returned to another country after an order to leave, France reported the highest number of nationals returned in the first quarter of 2023, a total of 4,190. This figure represents 15% of total returns.
France was followed by Germany (3,355; 12%), the Netherlands (2,505; 9%), Sweden (2,380; 9%) and Cyprus (1,705; 6%).
Georgians (2,465) topped the list of citizens from countries outside the EU who returned to another country in the first quarter of 2023, followed by Indians (2,250), Albanians (1,975), Turks (1,365 ) and the Moldavians (1 250).
Removal orders issued by EU countries
In the first quarter of 2023, among EU countries, France reported the highest number of non-EU citizens ordered to leave its territory: 37,860 people, representing 34% of the total.
France was followed by Germany (9,905), the Netherlands (7,500), Italy (6,920), Belgium (6,470) and Greece (6,350). Compared to the last quarter of 2022, Hungary recorded the highest relative increase in the number of people ordered to leave (+178%), rising from 625 to 1,740.
In terms of the nationality of people ordered to leave the territory of an EU country, Moroccans (9,500) represented the majority of the total (8.5%), followed by Algerians (9,275). , Afghans (7,120), Indians (5,885), and Tunisians (5,245)./ Monitor