BRUSSELS The number of asylum applications lodged in EU+ countries fell by 23% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, the European Union Agency for Asylum announced Monday. EU+, which refers to the 27 EU member states plus Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, received 399,000 asylum applications in the first half of 2025, according to the agency’s Mid-Year Review of Latest Asylum Trends. The sharp decline was driven mainly by a two-thirds drop in Syrian