4
 Pending Cases

First instance

While an asylum application is awaiting a first instance decision, it remains part of the caseload of applications under examination by the asylum authorities. The number of pending cases serves as a key indicator that reflects the workload faced by national authorities and the strain on national asylum systems, including reception systems. We estimate that, at the end of February 2026, the number of first instance pending cases stood at around 822,000 – approximately double the number between 2018 and 2021 and at extremely high level. It is notable that a large proportion of pending cases have been awaiting decisions for more than six months, which is the maximum duration of the examination procedure, stipulated in Regulation (EU) 2024/1348.

In general, citizenships lodging the most applications tend to have the most cases awaiting decisions. For example, at the end of February 2026, Venezuelans (123,000), Syrians (90,000), Colombians (67,000) and Bangladeshis (40,000) had the largest volumes of first instance pending cases together representing 39% of pending cases in the EU+.

All instances

Under the Early warning and Preparedness System (EPS), EU+ asylum authorities regularly report to the EUAA the number of cases that they have pending at first instance—that is, newly lodged applications still awaiting an initial decision. However, this indicator does not reflect the full scope of the caseload being processed across the EU+ because there are also many cases pending in appeal and in review: cases pending in appeal refer to those that have been challenged before the judiciary, where applicants contest the first instance decision on points of fact and/or law. At the same time, other cases are pending in review, meaning the asylum authority has been requested to re-examine its original decision—often due to procedural concerns or new information.

To capture this broader caseload, Eurostat provides an indicator on the total number of asylum applications pending at all instances, combining cases awaiting a first instance decision with those pending in appeal and review. According to this measure, at the end of January 2026 (latest data), the total number of cases pending at all instances stood at around 1.2 million in EU+ countries.