As a result of the tensions between Italy and France generated by the presence of the humanitarian ship Ocean Viking, there has been fresh discussion in Europe and Italy over asylum seekers and the transfer of migrants. Members of the Meloni administration and several media outlets say that the migration phenomenon should not be borne alone by Italy and the other Mediterranean Sea bordering nations. However, the numbers contradict this claim, since Italy has received fewer asylum applications than other significant European nations, notably France, during the last decade. In this regard, Germany ranks top, having received about 2,3 million applications over the last decade. France follows with 863,000, followed by Italy (592,000). Some nations in Central and Eastern Europe, like Estonia, Slovakia, and Latvia, have less than 3,000 applications annually. Comparing the number of asylum applicants to the resident population, Italy ranks fifteenth in the European Union, with one asylum claimant for every 100 inhabitants. Even if we evaluate just the statistics for 2022, we discover that Italy is not the nation with the highest number of candidates. Indeed, it ranks last among the big EU nations.
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