The IO produces two types of statistics on this theme of applicants for international protection:
- National statistics are produced to meet national needs and follow national definitions;
- European statistics are produced to meet the demands of the European institutions under the supervision of Eurostat (the Statistical Office of the European Union) following the definitions harmonised at European level (for this theme, the definitions are based on Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection and the related Eurostat technical instructions).
Currently, the difference between the two definitions is mainly limited to the exclusion of resettlement beneficiaries in European statistics. As a reminder, resettlement means the transfer of third-country nationals or stateless persons on the basis of an assessment of their need for international protection and a durable solution, to a Member State, where they are permitted to reside with a secure legal status (Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007). Furthermore, European statistics on this theme (excluding so-called "Dublin" statistics) are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 owing to the limited number of people in certain countries and categories.