Refugee and Migrant Crisis in the EU: A Content Analysis of Five European Countries

What role does UNHCR play in Europe?

As the custodian of the 1951 Refugee Convention, UNHCR supports States to fulfil their international obligations in building and maintaining fair and effective asylum systems in accordance with international law. It is particularly worrisome to see how the fundamental human right to asylum has been increasingly questioned in Europe over the past few years, and we spare no effort to speak out on violations of international refugee law, as well as counter fear-mongering and anti-refugee rhetoric.

As part of these efforts, we forge and strengthen partnerships and coordination mechanisms to garner wide-ranging support from relevant stakeholders in the spirit of the Global Compact on Refugees, to enhance joint advocacy efforts, mobilize resources and counter negative discourse.

UNHCR supports efforts by governments and other stakeholders to find solutions for refugees, notably in the form of local integration or resettlement, as well as voluntary return. We also promote safe and regulated avenues under which refugees can be admitted to a third country. These include community sponsorship programmes, family reunification, scholarships and humanitarian visas.

UNHCR also advocates to end statelessness in Europe and globally by 2024, in line with the #IBelong campaign. At the same time, we are also pressing for concerted European action to prevent loss of life in the Mediterranean and to improve reception for asylum-seekers.

We produce and publish statistics and data on refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless people and engages with the public to foster inclusiveness and empathy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had important socio-economic consequences for everyone in Europe since 2020. Refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless people have been particularly affected. It has also made it harder for us and our partners to access people we work for. To address this challenge, we have expanded the use of social media, hotlines and other methods of communication to ensure continued delivery of protection services.

What is the difference between a refugee, an asylum-seeker and a migrant?

People who are forced to flee their country in fear of persecution are refugees. They have legal protections under the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol as well as other legal instruments. UNHCR, governments and humanitarian organizations offer assistance to refugees, who are recognized by state authorities or UNHCR, because it is too dangerous for them to return home. Asylum-seekers are people whose request for refugee status, or asylum, is being processed.

People who move to a different country primarily to improve their lives by finding work or gaining education or to reunite with family are called migrants.

This distinction is important. States interact with refugees through specific norms dealing with refugee protection and asylum defined in regional and international frameworks.

How many refugees arrive in Europe?

According to UNHCR data, the total number of our people of concern in Europe has reduced by some 100,000 between 2019 and 2020. Of the 12 million people of concern to UNHCR in Europe, nearly one third live in Turkey, which remains the largest refugee-hosting country with 3.7 million refugees. The largest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region continued to be in Ukraine, with some 734,000 IDPs and an additional 1.6 million conflict-affected persons.

For up-to-date numbers on people arriving to Europe via Mediterranean and Canary Islands routes – as well as the numbers of people who have died or are missing after attempting to cross the sea, you can have a look at this interactive data page.

You can find more statistics and data visualizations on the numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers in Europe on UNHCR’s data portal, Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, and in the latest Global Trends Report.

Who are the asylum-seekers in Europe?

Asylum-seekers in Europe come from low or middle-income countries. Since 2014, the largest groups have fled wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Around 18 per cent of people arriving in Europe in 2020 to seek asylum were children, according to our data. Around one-third of these were not accompanied by an adult, making them particularly vulnerable to harm, exploitation and abuse.

Are all refugees coming to Europe?

No. Nearly 9 in 10 refugees (86 per cent) - are hosted by countries neighbouring crisis areas and low- and middle-income countries. The Global Compact on Refugees emphasizes the importance of greater responsibility- and burden-sharing. Yet, when it comes to hosting refugees, the burden is not equally shared. Developing regions continue to shoulder a disproportionately large responsibility for hosting displaced populations.

According to the Global Trends Report, by the end of 2020, there were 82.4 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, and 42 per cent of them were girls and boys under the age of 18. Children are particularly vulnerable, especially when crises continue for years. New UNHCR estimates show that almost one million children were born as refugees between 2018 and 2020. Many of them may remain refugees for years to come.