In mid-April, the European Union's supreme court in matters of EU law ruled that unaccompanied minors could bring in their families, even if they had come of age during the asylum process.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the decisive factor was the date when the application for asylum had been made — and not how long it took authorities to process it.

German law dictates that a refugee must still be a minor when the parents join him or her.

A report in German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung indicated that the German Foreign Ministry, which issues visas, was not correctly implementing the law.

In early September, the Red Cross and the UN refugee agency UNHCR held a closed-doors conference on family reunification. At the event, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Germany would not implement the ECJ ruling. (Read the protocol here - in German).

Human rights organization Pro Asyl told the newspaper it believed a considerable number of refugees had been unfairly denied their rights to bring their families into Germany. It called on the government to apply the ECJ ruling.

Read more: Refugee family reunification in Germany — what you need to know

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Minors from Afghanistan, Eritrea

According to a statement from Eurostat the EU's statistical office in May, over 31,000 unaccompanied minors were among asylum seekers registered in the EU in 2017. Nearly 90 percent of them were males. As a group they accounted for 15 percent of all asylum applicants and 9,085 applied for asylum in Germany.

The numbers of unaccompanied minors applying for asylum in th EU have been falling since the peak of 95,000 registrations in 2015 and 63,200 in 2016.

Read more: Hoping for family reunification: 'I need my wife to start again'

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Fleeing war and poverty In late 2014, with the war in Syria approaching its fourth year and Islamic State making gains in the north of the country, the exodus of Syrians intensified. At the same time, others were fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Niger and Kosovo.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Seeking refuge over the border Vast numbers of Syrian refugees had been gathering in border-town camps in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since 2011. By 2015, with the camps full to bursting and residents often unable to find work or educate their children, more and more people decided to seek asylum further afield.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? A long journey on foot In 2015 an estimated 1.5 million people made their way on foot from Greece towards western Europe via the "Balkan route". The Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel within much of the EU, was called into question as refugees headed towards the wealthier European nations.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Desperate sea crossings Tens of thousands of refugees were also attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats. In April 2015, 800 people of various nationalities drowned when a boat traveling from Libya capsized off the Italian coast. This was to be just one of many similar tragedies - by the end of the year, nearly 4,000 refugees were reported to have died attempting the crossing.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Pressure on the borders Countries along the EU's external border struggled to cope with the sheer number of arrivals. Fences were erected in Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Asylum laws were tightened and several Schengen area countries introduced temporary border controls.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Closing the open door Critics of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy claimed it had made the situation worse by encouraging more people to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe. By September 2016, Germany had also introduced temporary checks on its border with Austria.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Striking a deal with Turkey In early 2016, the EU and Turkey signed an agreement under which refugees arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey. The deal has been criticized by human rights groups and came under new strain following a vote by the European Parliament in November to freeze talks on Turkey's potential accession to the EU.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? No end in sight With anti-immigration sentiment in Europe growing, governments are still struggling to reach a consensus on how to handle the continuing refugee crisis. Attempts to introduce quotas for the distribution of refugees among EU member states have largely failed. Conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere show no signs coming to an end, and the death toll from refugee sea crossings is on the rise. Author: Rachel Stewart



According to Eurostat, most unaccompanied minors in 2017 were registered in Italy, followed by the 9,100 who applied for asylum in Germany. The largest group, about 17 percent, had come from Afghanistan. The second largest group had come from Eritrea, 1,500 of whom applied for asylum in Germany.

Eurostat included the definition of the individuals as: "An asylum applicant considered to be an unaccompanied minor is a minor (aged less than 18) who arrives on the territory of the Member States unaccompanied by an adult responsible for him or her whether by law or by the practice of the Member State concerned."

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