Cocaine production in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia has boomed in the last decade, and so has its importation into Europe
In May this year 87,000 asylum applications were lodged with the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). This was a 24 percent increase on the number of claims made in May 2022.
Syrians, Afghans, Ivorians and Guineans were heavily represented among those making claims, but there was also a remarkable number of South Americans. Over 7,000 Venezuelans asylum seekers arrived in Europe this May, along with 2,500 Peruvians and 6,900 Colombians. In the case of Colombians, this is a 90 percent increase on 2022. Most filed their asylum claims in Spain, and according to the EUAA, nearly all were first-time applicants.
