European Commission: Home Affairs

For the years 2014-2020, the Commission has proposed to bring the overall home affairs budget to €10.9 billion. This represents an increase of almost 40% compared to the total budget for the previous period 2007-2013. Moreover, the number of home affairs funds and programmes should be reduced from six to two.

Two Funds for Home Affairs

• The Asylum and Migration Fund will focus on people flows and the integrated management of migration. It will support actions addressing all aspects of migration, including asylum, legal migration, integration and the return of irregularly staying non-EU nationals.
• The Internal Security Fund will support the implementation of the Internal Security Strategy and the EU approach to law enforcement cooperation, including the management of the union's external borders. It will also cover the development of new IT systems, such as the future entry/exit system and the Registered Traveller Programme.

Both Funds should have a sizeable external dimension to ensure that the EU has the means to pursue its Home Affairs policy priorities and uphold its interests in relations with non-EU countries. Financial support will be made available to ensure the territorial continuity of financing, starting in the EU and continuing in non-EU countries.

These instruments will also provide for a rapid response in cases of emergency. The Funds are designed to allow the EU to react appropriately in rapidly-evolving situations.

Implementing Home Affairs funding in a more efficient way

The reduction in the number of programmes and the corresponding implementing rules will streamline procedures and allow for a better understanding of the rules by all stakeholders.

Implementing funding under shared management instead of under direct management, where possible, will remove unnecessary bureaucratic burdens. Direct management will be maintained for specific transnational or particularly innovative projects as well as to support non-state actors and to promote events and studies. It will also be maintained for the flexible emergency response mechanism and the external dimension. For funds under shared management, the Commission proposes to move from annual programmes to a system of results-driven multi-annual programming.

There is also scope and need for improving synergy and coherence between the activities of the Commission and its agencies, in order to ensure that the agencies are effective in supporting practical cooperation among EU States. The management of large-scale IT systems, currently the Commission's responsibility, will gradually be transferred to the future IT Agency that will also be responsible for developing and managing future IT systems in this area.

Proposals from the European Commission concerning financing in the area of Home Affairs for the period 2014-2020:

• 15.11.2011 - Communication: Building an open and secure Europe: the home affairs budget for 2014-2020 (COM(2011) 749 final)
• 15.11.2011 - Proposal for a Regulation laying down general provisions on the Asylum and Migration Fund and on the instrument for financial support for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime, and crisis management (COM(2011) 752 final)
• 15.11.2011 - Proposal for a Regulation establishing the Asylum and Migration Fund (COM(2011) 751 final)
• 15.11.2011 - Proposal for a Regulation establishing, as part of the Internal Security Fund, the instrument for financial support for external borders and visa (COM(2011) 750 final)
• 15.11.2011 - Proposal for a Regulation establishing, as part of the Internal Security Fund, the instrument for financial support for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime, and crisis management (COM(2011) 753 final)

Background information and consultation process

The Commission's proposals for the future home affairs Funds were developed using the results of the mid-term reviews of the current generation of financial instruments in support of migration, asylum and borders and internal security.

An impact assessment (with its executive summary) was drafted to accompany the Commission's proposals for the future home affairs Funds. It examines options in relation to spending priorities for the period 2014-2020 and the best way to deliver future funding. An evaluation / impact assessment study was carried out to support the preparation of the impact assessment.

As part of the impact assessment process, stakeholders were consulted on the design of the future Funds via an on-line public consultation and during a stakeholder conference.