Refugees need protection, not rejection. During the last 2 years, over one million people have crossed the Mediterranean by boat with the help of smugglers and more than 7,700 lives have been lost at sea. Some 17,000 refugees were submitted for resettlement in Europe in 2015. In this photo: A Syrian father, his children safely wrapped in thermal blankets, cries with relief after landing. © UNHCR / Giles Duley Furthermore, more than 2 million asylum applications were lodged in 38 European countries in 2015 – almost three times the 2014 figure (709,800). It should be noted, however, that the recording of statistical information in Europe in 2015 includes considerable instances of double counting. According to European government statistics, the main countries of origin of applicants were the Syrian Arab Republic (675,700), Afghanistan (406,300) and Iraq (253,600). European Union (EU) Member States received more than 1.2 million asylum applications, with Germany and Sweden receiving close to 50 per cent of applications launched in the EU. ● Data Source: http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php Fig.15 Monthly Mediterranean Arrivals in 2015 * Figures include sea arrivals to Malta, Italy and Greece and sea and land arrivals to Spain 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC UNHCR Global Trends 2015 35