Abu dhabi: Austria recorded a notable decline in asylum requests in the first half of 2025, with applications falling by 36.7 percent compared with the same period last year. Across the European Union, asylum applications dropped by 23 percent during the same timeframe. According to Emirates News Agency, Austria's Ministry of the Interior reported that 8,637 asylum applications were submitted between January and June 2025, marking a significant decrease on an annual basis. Gerhard Karner, Austria's Minister of the Interior, attributed the decline to the introduction of a stricter, more organised and fairer asylum policy, which includes reinforced border controls, new legislative measures and tightened asylum regulations.