Albanians were at the top of the list of asylum seekers from the Balkans to European Union countries for the month of February this year.

The latest report from the European Union Agency for Asylum shows that there were 845 asylum applications in one of the European Union countries.

North Macedonia also recorded a high number of applications, while Montenegro closed the list with the fewest applications in the region, only 23.

Annual figures for 2022 also highlight Albania among the leading countries in Europe with 13,040 asylum applications from Albanian citizens.

The majority of Albanians aim to seek protection in France within the Union states, but last year, the number of asylum applications from Albanian citizens reached a record high in the United Kingdom, where around 16,000 applications were reported.

According to the report from the EU Agency, this high demand is linked to political, social, economic difficulties, food insecurity, as well as unrest or conflicts.