Nearly a quarter of asylum applications in the EU are handled by Germany. France is the second biggest destination for asylum seekers. But often English-speaking migrants head for the UK, which is home to large communities from Pakistan, Somalia and Middle Eastern countries.
Among the asylum seekers from Russia there are many Chechens, whose homeland was devastated by war between separatist rebels and Russian troops.
The asylum seekers from Serbia include many Roma and ethnic Albanians, who complain of discrimination in Serbia.
