3.4.8.4. Discontinuations after withdrawals 

In 2023, there were 102,000 discontinuations in EU+ countries, the second-highest level in 7 years. This represented a slight decline by one-tenth from 2022. As in the past, most discontinuations were due to implicit withdrawals, accounting for almost 9 in every 10. 

Nearly one-half of all discontinuations were jointly recorded in Austria (31,000, albeit a decrease by over one-quarter from a year earlier) and Bulgaria (16,000, reaching an all-time high). At a lower level, a sharp increase in discontinuations took place in Latvia (1,100 or seven times the number recorded in 2022, mostly due to implicit withdrawals).

In 2023, 1 in 10 applications in EU+ countries was discontinued. This stayed roughly in line with the ratio of the previous years. The highest ratios were in Austria (more than 5 discontinued cases for every 10 applications lodged) and Greece (roughly 2 for every 10 applications lodged). Discontinuations were also common in some EU+ countries with relatively fewer applications received. In Croatia, for instance, the number of discontinued cases actually exceeded that of applications lodged (13 for every 10).xxx High ratios were also recorded in Bulgaria (7 for every 10), Latvia (6 for every 10), Portugal (almost 5 in every 10) and Lithuania (4 for every 10). In several of these countries, discontinuations exceeded applications in the first and last quarter of 2023, whereas in the middle of the year the trend reversed.