The number of Kosovars seeking asylum decreased last year, similarly to other countries in the region, but Albania continues to be a concern with over 20,000 applicants in the past year.

There were 5,310 first-time asylum seekers from Kosovo in the EU during 2017, according to new data published by Eurostat, the EU statistics agency.

The number indicates a drop of first-time applicants over the past few years: 9,200 Kosovars applied for asylum in 2016, a stark contrast to 2015 when almost 70,000 Kosovars sought asylum in western European countries, often after crossing into the Union illegally through Hungary.

See at: http://prishtinainsight.com/5000-kosovars-applied-asylum-eu-2017/