Austria sees 53 pct decline asylum applications in 2017

VIENNA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Austria has seen a sharp 53 percent drop in the number of asylum applications made for the first five months of the year, Austria Press Agency reported on Monday.

Up until the end of May 10, 520 applications were made, compared to the 22,419 applications submitted over the same period in 2016.

Should the present trend continue, projections would indicate a total of 26,000 applications for the year, compared with 42,073 applications last year, while the record year of 2015 saw 90,000 applications.

The figures overall indicate a renewed increase in asylum seeker arrivals crossing over the Mediterranean into Italy has not yet had an observable trickle-on effect into Austria.