France reports 'historic' 100,000 asylum claims in 2017

Albanians form the biggest group of applicants but government says their country is safe

Migrants wait for a food distribution near the former 'jungle' in Calais, France, on August 23, 2017. Pascal Rossignol / Reuters

Asylum claims in France hit a record 100,000 last year, official figures showed on Monday, as president Emmanuel Macron's government draws up hotly-debated legislation on immigration.

Officials said the rate of arrivals was "historic", with Albanians forming the biggest group of applicants although their country is deemed safe by France.

"It confirms that France is one of the countries receiving the most asylum claims in Europe," Pascal Brice, head of France's refugee protection agency Ofpra, told AFP.

"It's a historic level," he added, although he noted the numbers are half those recorded in Germany last year.

Mr Macron's government is preparing a bill on immigration next month, but his centrist Republique En Marche (Republic On The Move) party is divided on how to tackle the issue.

Mr Macron and prime minister Edouard Philippe have vowed to speed up the process for managing asylum requests and offering improved conditions for successful applicants.

But they have also promised a much tougher line on economic migrants that would mean an increased number of deportations and tighter controls on applications.

Last year, France removed 26,000 people, a 14 per cent increase on the year before, interior minister Gerard Collomb told AFP on Monday.

"The goal now is to improve the conditions of repatriation, whether voluntary or forced," he said.

In his New Year's message, Mr Macron had warned that France "cannot welcome everyone" although he pledged an immigration policy that walked the line between "humanity and efficiency".

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Albanians made up the biggest group applying for asylum in France last year — about 7,600 adults, almost all of them to be returned as their home country is considered safe.

Mr Brice attributed the 66-per cent jump in Albanian asylum claims to "economic emigration", an issue he said was worrying authorities in both countries.

Albania announced an action plan in July to fight trafficking, with France complaining that too many spaces in its refuges are taken up by Albanians who will never be granted asylum.

Afghans made up the second-biggest group last year with nearly 6,000 applications, followed by migrants from Haiti, Guyana and Sudan.

Applications from Syria were down 10 per cent to about 3,000, although almost all were granted asylum.

Ofpra also reported a sharp rise in applications from francophone West Africa including Ivory Coast and DR Congo. Mr Brice said they were part of the wave of migrants crossing to Europe from Libya.

In December, migrants' rights groups heavily criticised a decision to take a census of the population of migrant shelters, saying this went against their mission to provide unconditional aid.

Under pressure, Mr Philippe promised a public consultation.

Although the notorious Jungle camp at Calais was dismantled in 2016, many migrants continue to head to the northern French coast hoping to reach Britain, an issue which will be on the agenda when Mr Macron heads to London for talks later this month.