Written by Clare Ferguson,
- €9.26 billion – this represents the overall funding available within the European Union budget to tackle the migration crisis during the period from 2014 to 2020. People seeking asylum in the EU (that is, international protection against risk of persecution at home) must present evidence of their case. Because many recent migrants arrive without documentation or through unauthorised border crossings, they are deemed irregular. Massive mixed flows of irregular migrants and possible future asylum-seekers cause many challenges for the Member States with external EU borders. This funding is therefore aimed at tackling the many different aspects of the problem.
- €3.14 billion – the amount of funding from the total allocated for the EU asylum, migration and integration fund (AMIF), which aims to strengthen and develop a common EU approach to managing asylum and migration, not least to end the disparities which encourage migrants to move between EU Member States. The fund helps to support means of legal migration, effective and fair return strategies when migrants are found to be illegal, and increasing solidarity between those countries most affected by the migration influx, and those that are not.
- 88 % – the amount of AMIF funding which is implemented via shared management arrangements with the Member States. This entails all Member States setting up national programmes, except Denmark which does not participate.
- 12 % – the percentage of directly and indirectly managed implementation of funding under AMIF in support of transnational actions in which the EU is particularly interested.
- €2.76 billion – allocated to the Internal Security Fund (ISF) – Borders and Visa to ensure the highest level of security within the EU and on its external borders.
- 62 % of AMIF funds are implemented under shared management arrangements. Funding pays for new IT systems, operational equipment and training schemes and promoting good coordination and cooperation between countries and agencies. All Member States participate except Ireland and the United Kingdom.
- 38 %, or €1.06 billion, is implemented by the European Commission by direct management, or by indirect management by EU agencies.
- €1 billion – allocated to ISF Police for police cooperation, preventing and fighting crime and managing migration-related crises.
- €2.36 billion is allocated to six specialised EU agencies in the migration field: Frontex, which secures the EU external borders and is now responsible for the border and coast guard system; the European Asylum Support Office; and eu-LISA, the agency for the operational management of freedom security and justice IT systems
Migration and resettlement of refugees will obviously remain a priority for the EU in 2017.
See our best visuals from 2016
or consult our animated infographic on Migration
