Resources and results

For the next Multiannual Financial Framework (period 2014-2020), the Commission is proposing to increase financing opportunities for policies in the areas of security and migration, justice, and fundamental rights. The Commission’s proposals are presently being debated at inter-institutional level. However, it must be said that the amount of funds set aside for these areas amount to less than 2% of the total EU budget.Rapid and effective action. The EU Executive is proposing to EU Parliament and Council (the EU27 budget authorities) an overall Home Affairs budget of €10.7 billion. This represents an increase of almost 40% compared to the total budget for the period 2007-2013. While the amount of funding available in the seven-year period for managing migration flows and addressing security threats – along with national initiatives – will increase, the number of funds will be reduced from six to two. “A new Asylum and Migration fund with an overall budget of €3,869 million and a new Internal Security fund worth €4,648 million. Simplifying the rules, speeding up the procedures and cutting red tape will ensure that results are delivered quicker on the ground”, said Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Home Affairs. The Swedish Commissioner underlined: “Recent events, be it the Arab Spring or the terrorist attacks in Norway, illustrate how important it is for the EU to be able to react quickly and effectively to rapidly evolving crisis situations. This is why the European Commission will increase the funding available”, that falls within the provisions stipulated in the Lisbon Treaty and in the Stockholm Programme on security and migration.Objective: simple and flexible regulations. “Adequate funding with simpler and more flexible rules is crucial to address the increasingly transnational challenges that the EU faces”, Malmström added. The two funds, states the Commission, “will provide financing opportunities for policies on asylum and migration, effective border management systems, the fight against organised crime, corruption and terrorism and many other areas”. 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. “Moreover, a flexible emergency response mechanism in the two Funds will allow the EU to react rapidly to fast evolving crisis situations”, such as mixed migratory flows or terrorist attacks or cyber attacks. The two funds will replace the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals, the European Refugee Fund, the External Borders Fund, the European Return Fund and the two specific programmes “Prevention of and fight against crime” and “Prevention, Preparedness and Consequence management of Terrorism and other Security-related risks”.Cooperation in the legal frameworks. The Commission strengthens also the justice and fundamental rights dimension. The new Justice Programme, (with a budget of €416 million) and the Rights and Citizenship Programme (with a budget of €387 million) “aims to make sure EU legislation in civil and criminal justice is effectively applied and to make people’s rights and freedoms effective in practice and promote equality”. “They will also help to reinforce the EU’s efforts to fight crime, tackle drugs demand and supply and safeguard the rights of people (such as accused persons or victims of crime) when in criminal proceedings”, pointed out Viviane Reding, EU Justice Commissioner. The new programmes will consolidate six existing programmes, namely: Civil Justice; Criminal Justice; Fundamental Rights and Citizenship; Daphne III Programme; Drug Prevention and Information Programme; and Progress. The new programmes will support activities such as: training for judges and lawyers around Europe “so that they can apply EU law and rights in practice”; strengthening EU cooperation on justice and rights issues “through networks of legal practitioners, non-governmental organisations and policy-makers” along with national and European campaigns to inform people of their rights guaranteed under EU law and help them apply them in practice.