Sweden sees sharp drop in number of asylum seekers

The number of asylum seekers entering Sweden has dropped dramatically in recent months but remains at historically high levels, local media reported on Monday.

Some 2,000 migrants applied for asylum in Sweden last week, a fifth of the level seen in early November but more than twice the number admitted at the end of 2014, public broadcaster Swedish Television reported.

"We believe that the main reason for the decline in Sweden is that fewer people are coming to the European Union," Helena Cho Gyorki, spokesperson at the country's Migration Agency, told the channel.

"That is partly down to worse weather on the Mediterranean and partly as a result of tougher border controls in the Balkans," she added.

Migration Minister Morgan Johansson has said Sweden can only handle up to 2,000 asylum seekers per week, the channel reported. The Swedish government in late November introduced temporary residence permits to stem the flow of refugees into the country.

Swedish police will begin to fine travel companies for every passenger found without a valid photo ID starting on January 4th, the government has said.

The European Commission has proposed that Sweden be exempted from an initiative to allot refugees entering Greece or Italy to other countries in the union, Swedish Television reported. Endit