BRUSSELS - The European Commission has said there has been a significant rise in the number of Ukrainians applying for asylum in the EU in 2014.
In 2014, 14,000 Ukrainian citizens applied for asylum, according to a bi-annual report on the functioning of the Schengen zone.
“Although, it rose by 14 times against 1,000 applications for a whole 2013, generally, this number remains relatively low,” reads the report.
In 2014, applications for asylum by Ukrainians accounted for around 2 percent of the general number of asylum applications, the report said. The European Commission said it is necessary to “adequately monitor” the situation in Ukraine and its consequences for migration and refugee numbers.
The report said that the vast majority of Ukrainian applications to enter the Schengen zone were done so legally with short or long-stay visas, and only a few were submitted at the border.
