Almost 1,000 people apply this year for international protection in Romania

Asylum applications in Romania dropped by 55pct in the first half of this year, compared to the similar period of last year, the General Inspectorate for Immigration informs on Tuesday, according to a press release issued for AGERPRES. 

In the first half of 2018, as many as 900 people applied for international protection from the Romanian state, in 282 cases the refugee status was recognized or subsidiary protection was granted. At the same time, 948 beneficiaries of a form of protection have been enrolled in integration programs and are assisted at the level of the Regional Centers for Procedures and Accommodation of Asylum Seekers located in Bucharest, Giurgiu, Timisoara, Galati, Radauti and Maramures, territorial structures specialized in asylum issues. 

Most asylum seekers come from Iraq, Syria and Iran, and most requests have been made to the centers in Timisoara and Bucharest. 

As regards access to a new asylum procedure, there were 125 applications, compared to 47 in the similar period of 2017. 

The analysis showed that during this period, immigration police solved 521 applications for international protection at the administrative stage, in 282 cases being granted a form of protection, of which 152 received refugee status and 130 subsidiary protection.