Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund

For the next 7 years AMIF sets minimum amounts to be spent on asylum and integration policies. Along with this Fund a new Internal Security Fund has been adopted, aimed at improving police cooperation, border surveillance and crime prevention. [1] This closes a long negotiating period starting in November 2011 when the European Commission published a set of legislative proposals on EU funding in the area of home affairs for the period 2014-2020.

There has been a decrease in the funding available in comparison with the EC proposal [2].

NGOs have been trying to influence the shape of the Fund and they have been in certain points successful. [3] One of the biggest battles for the civil society community has been the question around the partnership principle, which would make sure that NGOs at national level need to be consulted by the governments before the priorities for the next seven years would be adopted.  In some Member States this has already been the case and it is not illogical. Non-governmental actors provide much needed assistance to asylum seekers, refugees and other categories of migrants, and as such have an in-depth understanding of their situation and needs.

The Commission proposals included the establishment of a “partnership” with key stakeholders for the development and implementation of the national programmes but it did not oblige Member States to consult with all stakeholders including the civil society. NGOs have engaged in several statements and advocacy meetings with the negotiating actors, mainly with the European Parliament.

As a result, the final text of the Regulation currently states that partnership “shall include relevant international organisations, non-governmental organisations and social partners.“

The practical implementation of the principle in the Member states will need to be closely followed as many Member States are not used to such cooperation with civil society.

In the beginning it was also not very clear how the resources from AMIF will be allocated and there was a fear that Member states will be free to allocate most of the resources for example on return policies rather than on asylum systems or integration. Although there is no harmonized determination of the resources allocation, at least 20% of the €2.7 billion that Member States will draw from the AMIF, will be spent on measures to support legal migration and promote effective integration of third country nationals. Member States will also be obliged to allocate at least an additional 20% of the funds to asylum measures. [4]

The co-funding will normally be 25% but can be reduced to 10%, and in specific cases even to 0%.

Member States taking asylum seekers under the EU's resettlement programme will receive a lump sum of €6,000 for each resettled person, which can be increased up to €10,000 for vulnerable persons or persons coming from priority areas. Next to resettlement, also ad hoc humanitarian admission shall be funded under the AMIF. [5]

Civil society has also welcomed the inclusion of several references to the respect of fundamental rights, inclusion of an explicit possibility to finance alternatives to detention and the fact that all Member States can benefit of AMIF funding for training of staff/asylum procedures etc. (not only MS with structural difficulties).

Funding will also still be possibly provided for mainstream integration activities that would include asylum seekers. This has also been one of the main points of NGOs which have suffered in the past with too narrow target groups in project calls.

The new AMIF has a clear strong focus on return although funding clearly should prioritize voluntary return and assisted voluntary return and reintegration [6] related activities. The new fund also allows for financing detention centres.

The Fund should also complement and “reinforce” activities of FRONTEX including joint return operations. The fund shall also assist Member States in operational assistance at the external borders that MAY also involve humanitarian emergencies and rescue at sea. [7]

Each Member State has to prepare a national annual plan for the area. There are delays in this for all the Member States, and they will most probably not be ready before the summer 2014, which means that the national calls for proposals will only emerge in about Autumn 2014.

The Czech Ministry of the Interior plans to start the realization of projects from January 2015 and to publish calls for proposals in the second half of 2014. The Czech national programme shall devote about 50% of the funds on integration, 30% to return and about 20% to asylum and refugees.

It is crucial to now the follow up on the new Regulation and monitor its actual implementation in the national legislations.