Many used the visa liberalization to flee the country | Photo by Balkan Insight

In the first half of this year, Germany registered substantial increase in the number of asylum seekers coming from Macedonia, although few of them obtained approval to stay.

About 4,600 Macedonian nationals requested asylum in Germany in the first six months of 2014, the German Migration and Refugee office said. Only 0.3 per cent of these had their request approved.

This is a sharp increase on the numbers in the same period last year, when some 3,100 Macedonians had applied for asylum.

In terms of the Balkan region generally, Serbia remains the leader on terms of asylum requests in Germany.

Serbian nationals submitted almost 12,000 requests in the first half of the year. Macedonians came second followed by Bosnians who made 4,150 applications.

Almost 3,000 people from Kosovo sought asylum in Germany and 780 Montenegrin citizens.

In December 2009, the European Union lifted visa requirements on citizens of Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro, allowing them to travel into the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone without needing visas.

Since then, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and other European countries have complained to Serbia and Macedonia about mass arrivals of asylum seekers from the Balkans, mainly ethnic Albanians and Roma.

While some countries have curbed the problem by reducing the length of procedures for reviewing applications, Germany remains a popular destination owing its relatively lengthy asylum procedures during which applicants get a free stay and have their living expenses there covered.

This may change at the end of this month when the Bundestag is expected to vote on a new draft law reducing the duration of asylum procedures.