Annual Report on Asylum and Migration Statistics 2002

The report provides an overview of patterns and trends in 2002 with respect to migration, asylum and enforcement measures in the 15 EU Member States, the 10 countries which were in the process of acceding to the EU, and four other countries closely associated to the EU (Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, and Romania). The report highlights that between 2000 and 2002 annual immigration to the EU increased by 11 per cent but that the situation in the Member States varies. The number of asylum applications submitted in the EU 15 increased by 26 percent between 1998 and 2002. Thereby increases were most obvious in Austria (+185%). With regard to irregular migration the report notes that data is rather unreliable and is not comparable.