(*) Key achievements in the table state which period they relate to. Many come from the implementation of the predecessor programmes under the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework. This is expected and is due to the multiannual life cycle of EU programmes and the projects they finance, where results often follow only after completion of the programmes. Verifications are still ongoing in some Member States, in line with the procedure to assess the Annual Implementation Reports and the reporting cycle. Thus, the figures are not yet fully consolidated.
Budget for 2021-2027
(million EUR)
Financial programming | 7 096.8 |
NextGenerationEU |
|
Decommitments made available again (*) | N/A |
Contributions from other countries and entities | 0.5 |
Total budget 2021-2027 | 7 097.3 |
(*) Only Article 15(3) of the financial regulation.
Rationale and design of the programme
The Integrated Border Management Fund (IBMF) creates EU added value by addressing challenges in the areas of the management of the external borders and common visa policy that cannot be adequately addressed by the Member States acting on their own.
The abolition of internal border controls brings significant benefits to EU citizens and businesses. However, the integrity, safety and security of the EU's internal borderless area and of its customs union requires the effective management and protection of the EU's external borders, especially in times of challenges posed by migratory pressures and threats of serious cross-border crime.
This calls for action at the EU level, in the form of common measures for the effective control, including surveillance, of the EU's external borders.
The IBMF will address these challenges through two instruments for financial support: the Customs Control Equipment Instrument (CCEI) and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVI).
In particular, the CCEI's mission is to support the customs union and customs authorities to protect the financial and economic interests of the EU and its Member States, to ensure security and safety within the EU and to protect the EU from illegal trade while facilitating legitimate business activity.
The BMVI's mission is to provide financial support to Member States and to ensure strong and effective European integrated border management at the EU's external borders, thereby contributing to a high level of internal security within the EU, all while safeguarding the free movement of people within it.
The BMVI has the following two specific objectives.
- To support effective European integrated border management at the external borders, implemented by the European Border and Coast Guard as a shared responsibility of the related agency and the national authorities responsible for border management; to facilitate legitimate border crossings; to prevent and detect illegal immigration and cross-border crime; and to effectively manage migratory flows.
- To support the common visa policy in order to ensure a harmonised approach with regard to the issuance of visas and to facilitate legitimate travel, while helping to prevent migratory and security risks; and to strengthen and develop all aspects of the common European asylum system, including its external dimension.
The specific objective of the CCEI is to contribute to adequate and equivalent results of customs controls through the transparent purchase, maintenance and upgrade of relevant and reliable state-of-the-art customs control equipment that is secure, safe and environment-friendly, thereby helping the customs authorities act as one to protect the interests of the EU.
The BMVI supports a broad range of actions to improve border controls (checks and surveillance), in line with the European agenda on migration and in compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, enhancing cooperation at the EU level for tasks carried out at borders. It funds efficient, client-friendly services to visa applicants while maintaining the security and integrity of visa procedures. It invests in common, large‑scale information technology systems in the area of border management and visa policy, including in their interoperability. It furthermore invests in infrastructure and equipment, systems and services, training, the exchange of experts, the deployment of immigration liaison officers, innovative solutions and new technologies and studies. It also provides operating support for the implementation of European integrated border management and of the common visa policy.
The CCEI supports the purchasing, maintenance and upgrading of customs control equipment for non-intrusive inspection, identification of hidden objects on humans, radiation detection, nuclide identification, analysis of samples in laboratories, sampling and field analysis of samples, along with handheld search tools and other types of innovative non-intrusive detection technology equipment.
The legal basis of the BMVI is Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2001 establishing, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy. The BMVI is partially covered partially by the common provisions regulation (Regulation (EU) 2021/1060) for shared management.
The BMVI, for which the lead directorate-general is DG Migration and Home Affairs, is an essential instrument for achieving the EU’s objective of constituting an area of freedom, security and justice under Article 67(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which is an area of shared competence between the EU and the Member States, as stated in Article 4 of that treaty.
The BMVI finances a wide range of measures by Member States, acting in cooperation with other EU bodies, offices and agencies and, where appropriate, non-EU countries and international organisations, to help provide uniform and high-quality external border control so as to facilitate legitimate border crossings. The BMVI contributes to improving the efficiency of visa processing in terms of facilitating visa procedures for bona fide travellers and in terms of detecting and assessing security risks, in particular migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, and irregular migration risks, in line with Article 77(2) and 79(2)(d) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It also provides extensive coverage of consular services across the world.
The BMVI is implemented under shared, direct and indirect management. The largest share of the resources (57.5%, i.e. EUR 3.668 billion) is allocated to the Member States’ programmes under shared management. The remaining share (42.5% i.e. EUR 1.573 billion) is allocated to the Thematic Facility, a financial tool managed by the Commission. Funding allocated to the Thematic Facility can be used for specific actions (shared management) implemented by the Member States nationally or transnationally, Union actions (direct/indirect management) and emergency assistance (direct, indirect or shared management). The Thematic Facility offers flexibility in the management of the BMVI in addressing priorities with a high level of EU added value or responding to urgent needs.
The legal basis of the CCEI is Regulation (EU) 2021/1077 of 24 June 2021 establishing, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Customs Control Equipment Instrument.
Close cooperation and coordination are ensured between the two directorates-general managing the IBMF’s instruments, DG Taxation and Customs Union and DG Migration and Home Affairs, including by regular interservice meetings between the two, to provide for consistency in implementation. In relation to the external dimension, DG Migration and Home Affairs coordinates closely with DG Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations and DG International Partnerships.
While the CCEI is delivered under direct management, the Member States support the Commission in developing policy aspects relating to the implementation of the CCEI. Member States participate in the CCEI Coordination Group, which functions as a consultative body and advises the Commission on the implementation of EU legislation, programmes and policies.
Finally, the CCEI maintains close links with the customs programme (led by DG Taxation and Customs Union) and programmes from other directorates-general – such as the Union anti-fraud programme, the Horizon Europe programme and the Recovery & Resilience Facility – to ensure that double funding is avoided between the programmes and also, importantly, to encourage and identify synergies and complementarities.
The CCEI is a new instrument. The BMVI builds on the Internal Security Fund (ISF), the instrument for financial support for external borders and visas implemented under the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework. It strengthens its external dimension to cover cooperation with non-EU countries and adds flexibility through a balanced mix of implementation modes.
The mid-term Evaluation of the BMVI programme will start in the coming months, to be finalised by the end of 2024. It will build upon the early findings of the ex-post evaluation of the 2014-2020 programme, to be finalised in the first semester of 2025.
Programme website:
Impact assessment:
- The impact assessment of the IBMF was carried out in 2018 – for further information please consult: https://europa.eu/!xU94BD
Relevant regulation:
Budget
Budget programming (million EUR):
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial programming | 289.0 | 999.2 | 1 205.3 | 1 254.1 | 1 184.2 | 1 082.7 | 1 082.2 | 7 096.8 |
NextGenerationEU | ||||||||
Decommitments made available again (*) | N/A | |||||||
Contributions from other countries and entities | 0.5 | 0.0 | p.m. | p.m. | p.m. | p.m. | p.m. | 0.5 |
Total | 289.5 | 999.2 | 1 205.3 | 1 254.1 | 1 184.2 | 1 082.7 | 1 082.2 | 7 097.3 |
(*) Only Article 15(3) of the financial regulation.
Financial programming:
+ EUR 396.4 million (+ 6%)
compared to the legal basis*
* Top-ups pursuant to Article 5 of the multiannual financial framework regulation are excluded from financial programming in this comparison.
The initial financial programming for the BMVI as per the legal base was 5 241 million EUR. This amount was affected by further modifications. On one hand, it was reinforced by almost 621 million from the structural funds in the context of the Greek Partnership Agreement, 85 million were added in the context of different draft budget procedures 2021-2024, the Fund also absorbed 50 million of unused appropriations from the agencies. On the other hand, the BMVI was reduced by 360 million in order to finance various legislative initiatives concerning DG HOME Agencies, of which almost half was used for the revision of Europol’s mandate.
Budget performance – implementation
Multiannual cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2022 (million EUR):
Implementation | 2021-2027 Budget | Implementation rate | |
---|---|---|---|
Commitments | 1 280.1 | 7 097.3 | 18.0% |
Payments | 521.5 | 7.4% |
Annual voted budget implementation (million EUR)(1):
Commitments | Payments | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Voted budget implementation | Initial voted budget | Voted budget implementation | Initial voted budget | |
2021 | 288.4 | 533.5 | 0.3 | 127.1 |
2022 | 991.3 | 809.3 | 519.7 | 350.1 |
(1) Voted appropriations (C1) only.
- For the Member States' programmes, due to the delays in the adoption of the legal basis for 2021-2027 and the time needed for the programming procedure, shared management programmes were formally approved only in the last quarter of 2022. The Union actions have become part of the Thematic Facility covered by the multiannual work programmes for 2021-2022 and 2023-2025. The programmed initiatives will be implemented throughout the period, with calls for proposals being published regularly to support transnational actions in the area of border management and controls. The latest calls have focused, for instance, on support for border management for, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (due to the external border with Belarus), interoperability, innovative border surveillance, visa policy, the Schengen information system and projects on innovative solutions ensuring the Schengen area functions properly.
- In order to support the measures launched in 2021 against the instrumentalisation of migrants by Belarus, a specific action under the BMVI was implemented to support Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in protecting their borders with Belarus.
- Further implementing and delegated acts necessary for the development and operation of the renewed Schengen information system and visa information system, along with the entry/exit system and the European travel information and authorisation system, and interoperability between large-scale EU information systems, were adopted in 2022. The BMVI helps Member States prepare to implement the renewed and new systems at the national level. The systems will allow them to carry out operational activities relating to managing the EU's external borders, such as performing checks and surveillance at the external border and producing analyses of the risks to internal security and analyses of the threats that may affect the functioning or security of the external borders.
- The implementation of voted budget commitment appropriations concerned the initial allocations under the Member States' programmes, the first Thematic Facility work programme 2021-2022 and the support expenditure of the fund.
- The voted budget for the BMVI amounted to EUR 398 million in 2021 in terms of commitment appropriations, of which EUR 152.9 million was implemented in 2021. The difference between the EUR 398 million of initial commitment appropriations and the EUR 152.9 million implemented is mainly the result of the adjustment of the multiannual financial framework (i.e. the reprogramming of 2021 shared management appropriations due to the delay in the adoption of Member States' programmes: EUR 278.5 million was spread equally over the 2022-2025 period). In addition, the fund was reinforced in 2021 with EUR 34.1 million in commitment appropriations through a budgetary authority transfer in the context of the Belarus crisis.
- The voted budget for the BMVI amounted to EUR 671.1 million in 2022 in terms of commitment appropriations, of which EUR 853.1 was implemented in 2022. The difference between the EUR 671.1 million of initial commitment appropriations and the EUR 853.1 million implemented is primarily the result of the adjustment of the multiannual financial framework for (EUR 69.6 million stemming from 2021 reprogramming, EUR 104.8 million in commitment appropriations from the Structural Funds in the context of the partnership agreement for Greece, internal transfers of EUR 16.8 million in commitment appropriations to reinforce the Thematic Facility). In addition, the fund was reinforced in 2022 with EUR 148 million in payment appropriations via an amending budget and budget authority transfer in the context of the migration crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine. Finally, EUR 7.9 million was the object of a carry-over decision for a programme not adopted by 2022.
- As for the implementation of the voted budget payment appropriations, they were used mainly for pre-financing payments under the Member States' programmes and emergency assistance grants in the context of the Ukraine crisis.
- For the CCEI, there were no commitments or payments granted in 2021, therefore the full budgetary envelope for the first programming period (EUR 273 514 000) was committed in 2022. In terms of payments made, over EUR 136 million was transferred to Member States in 2022 through pre-financed grants, through which 50% of the total grant amount was paid for each project. In total, 42 grant agreements were signed by the end of 2022, triggering the allocation of funds to co-finance the purchasing, upgrading and maintenance of more than 1 300 pieces of customs control equipment at over 200 border crossing points and more than 500 pieces of equipment in over 30 customs laboratories.
- In 2023, the CCEI's commitment appropriations for the first year of the 2023-2024 multiannual work programme amount to EUR 140 872 000, with EUR 73 091 918 available as payment appropriations. This envelope will be used in the same way as in the first programming period (2021-2022), i.e. by funding projects to co-finance the purchasing, maintenance and upgrading of customs control equipment.
- The implementation of the first multiannual work programme resulted in the successful signature of grant agreements at the end of 2022. Therefore, the Member States are now starting their first CCEI-related procurement procedures. In addition, the Commission received a significant amount of data describing the needs of the Member States' border crossing points and customs laboratories, the equipment already available, and the risks and trade flows. Following this complex data assessment, the priorities for the allocation of the resources under the second multiannual work programme have been established. Its adoption is thus planned for the third quarter of 2023, and the signature of the second CCEI call grant agreements will be made in 2024. This will consequently have an impact on the payment appropriations for 2023-2024.
Contribution to horizontal priorities
Green budgeting
Contribution to green budgeting priorities (million EUR):
Implementation | Estimates | Total contribution | % of the 2021–2027 budget | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | |||
Climate mainstreaming | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0% |
Biodiversity mainstreaming | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% |
Clean air | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% |
- In line with the EU’s commitments to work towards achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), the BMVI and CCEI regulations commit, without having a fund-specific target, to contributing to achieving the EU’s goal of spending at least 30% of its total budget on supporting climate objectives and its ambition to spend 7.5% of the annual EU budget on biodiversity in 2024 and 10% in both 2026 and 2027, while considering the existing overlaps between climate and biodiversity goals.
- This could happen, for example, by focusing on green procurement regarding (small-scale) assets and infrastructure / information technology systems, subject to specific provisions ensuring that products/services are chosen that reduce climate impacts by applying the best available technologies, using renewable energy in buildings, enhancing insulation, etc. For the time being no strict conditions on national programming or project selection, but Member States are encouraged to prioritise environment-friendly actions.
Gender
Contribution to gender equality (million EUR) (*):
Gender score | 2021 | 2022 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
0 | 285.4 | 980.8 | 1 266.2 |
0* | 3.1 | 10.5 | 13.6 |
(*) Based on the applied gender contribution methodology, the following scores are attributed at the most granular level of intervention possible:
- 2: interventions the principal objective of which is to improve gender equality;
- 1: interventions that have gender equality as an important and deliberate objective but not as the main reason for the intervention;
- 0: non-targeted interventions (interventions that are expected to have no significant bearing on gender equality);
- 0*: score to be assigned to interventions with a likely but not yet clear positive impact on gender equality.
- The IBMF/BMVI is committed to the horizontal approach of the EU budget in which equality between women and men and rights and equal opportunities for all, and the mainstreaming of these objectives, should be taken into account and promoted throughout the preparation, implementation and monitoring of relevant programmes.
- In the broader context, in order to receive payments from the Commission, the Member States’ programmes for the funds co-managed by DG Migration and Home Affairs will have to comply with the number of horizontal enabling conditions, one of which concerns the effective application and implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, including the equality of women and men. The horizontal enabling conditions have to remain fulfilled throughout the entire programming period and Member States have to report on their application to the programme monitoring committee and the Commission.
- As regards the types of action supported by the BMVI, training and knowledge sharing habitually tackle gender-specific issues, which is why they are considered to be financial interventions that may have the potential to impact gender equality, among other areas. Therefore, the amount under the gender score (0*) comprises interventions relating to training and knowledge sharing under both direct and shared management.
- Given the early stages of implementation and the uneven progress in the first reporting of data from the Member States, the current values should be treated with caution and may be subject to revision once complete and standardised datasets become available in 2024.
Digital
Contribution to digital transition (million EUR):
2021 | 2022 | Total | % of the total 2021-2027 implementation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Digital contribution | 52.4 | 289.6 | 342.0 | 27% |
It is considered that activities under the specific objectives of the IBMF/BMVI mentioned below may partially contribute to the goal of digital transition:
- supporting effective European integrated border management at the external borders;
- supporting the common visa policy.
The amount contributing to the goals of the digital transition covers activities and interventions relating to the digitalisation of administration (government information and communications technology solutions, e-services, etc.) under shared management.
The CCEI does not have activities that contribute to the goals of digital transition.
Budget performance – outcomes
Due to the concurrent development of several reporting modules for the Member States in the System for Fund Management in the European Union – 2021 (SFC2021), the Commission is not in a position to provide the 2022 results this year. This will be corrected in next year’s reporting.
Baseline | Progress (*) | Target | Results | Assessment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of items of equipment registered in the technical equipment pool of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency | 0 | 1 778 in 2029 | No results | No data | |
Number of items of equipment provided to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency | 0 | 775 in 2029 | No results | No data | |
Number of initiated/improved forms of cooperation of national authorities with the national coordination centre of the European Border Surveillance System | 0 | 111 in 2029 | No results | No data | |
Number of addressed recommendations from Schengen evaluations and from vulnerability assessments in the area of border management | 0 | 2 575 in 2029 | No results | No data | |
Number of new/upgraded consulates outside the Schengen area | 0 | 842 in 2029 | No results | No data | |
Number of addressed recommendations from Schengen evaluations in the area of the common visa policy | 0 | 2 310 in 2029 | No results | No data | |
Number of visa applications using digital means | 0 | 62 million | No results | No data | |
Percentage of border crossing points and customs laboratories with equipment that meets the common list of equipment that should be available per customs laboratory/type of border crossing point (i.e. land, sea, air, postal, rail) | 0 | 12% | 80% in 2027 | 9.28% | No data |
(*) % of target achieved by the end of 2022.
Due to the concurrent development of several reporting modules for the Member States in the System for Fund Management in the European Union – 2021 (SFC2021), the Commission is not in a position to provide the 2022 results this year. This will be corrected in next year's reporting.
Link to file with complete set of EU core performance indicators
- The approval of the Member State programmes for 2021-2027, which represent the bulk of the resources of the programme, took place in the last quarter of 2022, in line with the timing of most programmes covered by the common provisions regulation. Monitoring systems at the Member State level are currently being developed.
- Given the very early stage of implementation and the lack of structured data transmission in 2022, it is not yet possible to carry out any meaningful assessment of progress towards achieving the milestones and targets only recently established by the Member States(1).
- Overall, the implementation of programme will inevitably be affected by the energy crisis and the general increase in prices, especially as regards direct management, due to the use of fixed unit rates for certain types of costs. Since, based on the current legal framework, these rates cannot be updated to take inflation into account, they can result in the insufficient coverage of the real expenditure by the organisations involved in the implementation of the actions. This, in turn, can lead to reduced participation in future calls for proposals, along with project activities that need to be removed from the scope of existing support, having become non-financially viable.
- However, increased prices may also have an effect on the delivery of projects under shared management. Some Member States have already noted that the price of equipment and other acquisitions has been subject to fluctuations, with increases that have vastly exceeded expectations in the construction industry in particular, but also with respect to the availability of chipsets and equipment. The cost of travelling has also been greatly affected, reducing the possibility of in-person gatherings. Continued pressure on resources could result in a lower level of achievement of key performance indicators and influence the implementation of transnational initiatives.
- As regards direct management, in view of their specific nature and legislative objectives, the performance of transnational Union actions cannot be captured by the key performance indicators. Nonetheless, they complement the implementation of policy objectives at the national level through Member States’ programmes by developing policy analysis and innovation, transnational mutual learning and partnerships and testing new initiatives and actions across the EU. The actions financed under the Thematic Facility 2021-2022 have been kicking off since the second half of 2022, with some calls for proposals remaining under evaluation. With the Union actions, the Commission supported valuable projects in the area of innovations in border management in 2021-2022.
- As covered in the budget implementation section, the programme provided essential and timely support to those Member States most affected by the mass influx of people from Ukraine by contributing to the ‘reinforcement of capacity to manage EU external borders under urgent and exceptional pressure’ via the emergency assistance strand. This included support for managing external border crossings in line with the Commission’s operational guidelines(2) and first-reception activities within the area dedicated to border controls. In agreement with the Commission, a list of performance indicators and supporting evidence was specified in the grant agreements with the beneficiary Member States. The preliminary findings indicate that the targets have been achieved in full.
- For the CCEI, with regard to the main performance indicator of the instrument – the availability of customs controls equipment and its adherence to the common list of equipment(3) that should be available for each type of border crossing point / customs laboratory – there is currently an overall adherence level of 9.28% for all border crossing points, with a further breakdown for border crossing points as follows: air: 11%; land: 7%; mobile: 23%(4); post: 11%; rail: 8%; sea: 12%. These data clearly show that there are still critical equipment needs across all borders, in which the CCEI will continue to play an essential role.
(1) As is standard practice for shared management programmes, and in line with the legal framework, the milestones and targets have been established by the Member States based on their strategy and needs assessments and in line with the available resources indicatively planned in the programmes across predefined types of interventions. The Member States are indeed best placed to tailor the design of the programmes to their national context and needs. The methodology for target setting was shared with the Commission, which also provided methodological advice to the Member States. The milestones, targets and related methodology can be adjusted during the programming period in duly justified cases, such as a revision of the programme's strategy, relevant external contextual factors and changes in the distribution or volume of the available resources, and following a review by the Commission. An overall assessment of the relevance of the strategy and its targets compared to the evolving needs at both the Member State and the EU level will be part of the midterm evaluation of the programme.
(2) Commission Communication providing operational guidelines for external border management to facilitate border crossings at the EU-Ukraine borders (2022/C 104 I/01) (OJ C 104I, 4.3.2022, p. 1).
(3) The common list of equipment that should be available for each border crossing point / customs laboratory is established by cross-checking the risk and threats identified by Member States at the time of their proposals for each of their border crossing point /customs laboratory with the items of equipment that should be available at border crossing points /customs laboratories to address the identified risks and threats. This defines the ideal common list of equipment that should be available for that border crossing point /customs laboratory. To calculate the degree of adherence to the ideal common list of equipment, the customs control equipment available at each border crossing point /customs laboratory is checked against the ideal common list of equipment that should be available at that border crossing point /customs laboratory.
(4) The common list of equipment was adopted at the meeting of the CCEI Coordination Expert Group on 1 September 2021. In addition to the categories envisaged by the CCEI regulation, the mobile border crossing point category was added due to its strategic role in increasing the efficiency of customs controls by providing greater flexibility and unpredictability in the performance of the controls.
MFF 2014-2020 – Internal Security Fund – Borders and Visa
The BMVI builds on the investment and achievements made with the support of its predecessors: the External Borders Fund and the ISF – Borders and Visa. The fund has supported overall EU policies in the area of external border management and visas.
Budget
Cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2022 (million EUR):
Implementation | Budget | Implementation rate | |
---|---|---|---|
Commitments | 2 689.8 | 2 732.4 | 98.4% |
Payments | 2 132.0 | 78.0% |
- The start of the Russian war in Ukraine on 24 February in 2022 was a stark reminder of the importance of properly functioning integrated border management. The Commission proposed an initiative to facilitate access to unspent funds under the Home Affairs Funds for the 2014-2020 programmes, including ISF – Borders and Visa, given the acute migration and border management needs arising from the invasion of Ukraine. The intention was to provide immediate support to the Member States, as they could swiftly re-direct the funding under their existing programmes to address the migration needs caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Commission’s proposals were adopted in April 2022.
- After an initial delay in the adoption of the legal bases of the Home Affairs funds by the co-legislators, all ISF Member State national programmes were adopted in 2015, with their implementation reaching cruising speed in 2017. Since then, the ISF national programmes were revised on several occasions in order to provide financing for the purchase of equipment, address an equal allocation to all Member States participating in ISF – Borders and Visa, and to cover costs relating to the adoption of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System and the recast of the second-generation Schengen information system regulations. Finally, the programmes were modified in 2020 concerning seven Member States to support border control activities, in particular in the Member States facing high migratory pressure at the external borders, but no revisions were made anymore in 2021 nor in 2022.
- As regards the ISF – Borders and Visa, for the 2014-2020 period, EUR 2.42 billion were allocated to the national programmes of the Member States. Up to 2022, Member States actually spent EUR 1.77 billion, equivalent to an absorption rate of 73.14%. It is expected that the increasing trend in payments at Member State level will continue in the 2022 and beyond towards the end and closure of the programming period.
- As regards direct management, in 2022, the vast majority of projects selected under the 2017 and 2018 annual work programme were closed, while those from 2019 and 2020 have reached cruising speed. The projects' implementation is continuously monitored to ensure they continue brining value and their performance is line with the objectives of the Fund.
Baseline | Progress (*) | Target | Results | Assessment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Consulates developed / upgraded | 0 | > 100% | 923 in 2022 | 3 279 consulates compared to a target of 923 | Achieved |
Number of border control infrastructures | 0 | > 100% | 19 902 in 2022 | 47 812 infrastructures compared to 19 902 | Achieved |
National border surveillance infrastructure established / further developed in the framework of the European Border Surveillance System | 19 | 100% | 30 in 2022 | 30 infrastructures compared to 30 | Achieved |
(*) % of target achieved by the end of 2022.
Link to file with complete set of EU core performance indicators
- In 2022, the Commission continued to address the root causes of irregular migration and strengthen the protection of the EU’s external borders. The total number of detected irregular border crossings continued on the upward trend, growing to over 330 000, compared to 200 000 in 2021 and 125 000 in 2020. These are mostly explained by increases in the number of Syrians and Afghans apprehended within the western Balkan route and migrants from Egypt in the central Mediterranean route(1), but clearly highlight the increasing level of pressure on EU’s external borders.
- ISF – Borders and Visa is making a crucial contribution to the application of the Schengen acquis, with the investment in the effective control of the external border through the information systems at EU level and their interoperability, providing and sharing relevant information. The Fund has also contributed to the reinforcement of the capacities of Member States’ border management authorities. Special attention is still needed in the use of funds in the information systems area, to ensure that all available funding is absorbed, while taking into account the flexibility of the Commission’s proposal (adopted in April 2022) to prolong the implementation period for the funds still available to Member States under the 2014-2020 Home Affairs funds by one year due to the Russian war of aggression to Ukraine.
- In terms of overall performance of the Fund, many of the indicators set in the regulation have achieved their targets or are on track to do so by the end of the programming period(2). The main difficulties reported over the last three reporting years relate to the possibility to carry out training activities and missions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of inflation especially with respect to the cost of travels, equipment and construction works, as well as the timing for the adoption of EU-level legal acts on large-scale IT systems. Such issues have been remedied in many cases by making use of the flexibility offered by the revision of the legal base to use unspent resources and extend the project duration, by exploiting the possibility to organise remote training and exchanges etc. However, in some cases projects had to be cancelled and re-programmed for the subsequent programming period. Whilst the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions implies that there is a positive trend in 2022, the effects of the pandemic remain visible on some aggregated cumulative figures. The Commission is also fully and actively engaged in supporting the agreement and finalisation of the the large-scale IT systems.
- On supporting a common visa policy, the trend shows that the cumulative values reported have been steadily increasing to achieve and in some cases overcome the targets, such as in the case of Consulates developed or upgraded. However, figures remain below the targets when it comes to training of staff in the area of visa and border management. Up to 2022, 7 051 people were trained in this area, which is approximately 62% of the target of 11 365. Training activities were among those most negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a decrease of people trained to 816 in 2020 compared to 1 196 in 2019 and only a marginal improvement to 908 in 2021. Whilst implementation picked up to 1530 in 2022, there could be a lasting effect on the cumulative figures. In any event, the low aggregated target achievement often hides important differences at the Member State level and is partly explained by a few Member States having set overly optimistic targets.
- On strengthening the EU external borders, progress is also positive but there is some variation across Member States and indicators. In this area, 41 355 border guards were trained by the end of 2022, achieving the target of 34 603. In total up to 2021, the instruments also supported the development or upgrade of 47 812 border control (checks and surveillance actions) infrastructure and means, which is well above the target of 19 902. However, the target for the number of crossings via the automatic border control gates supported by the fund remains unmet due to delays or changes in the needs in a few Member States.
- The main lessons learned during the 2014-2020 programming period are shown below.
- There was insufficient cooperation, coordination and strategic steering in the implementation of the ISF with the other EU-level initiatives.
- There is a need for better exploitation of innovation opportunities from EU civil security research.
- There is a need to strengthen performance monitoring in terms of quality, reliability and frequency of the data and to set out common output and result indicators. This is being specifically addressed for the 2021-2027 programming by the new requirements contained in the legal basis and via the joint work of the Commission and national managing authorities on data quality.
(1) Increases in migrants apprehended are also due to the improved operational capacity of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency services and increases in the push-pull factors at the global level, including the progressive uplifting of restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2) The information coming from the Member States is not yet fully consolidated due the timing for the reporting cycle. The aggregated figures may also hide differences in performance at the Member State level. For person-related indicators, there could be instances of individual counted more than once.
Sustainable development goals
Contribution to the sustainable development goals
SDGs the programme contributes to | Example |
---|---|
SDG16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels |
A project financed under the Slovak ISF programme aims at training officers of the Border and Foreign Police in English, Russian and Ukrainian. It will help police officers to communicate in English, Russian and Ukrainian with citizens of non-EU countries. The project started in 2017 and was completed in March 2022. The total number of police officers who completed the courses is 421 (258 police officers attended the English language courses, 66 attended the Ukrainian language courses and 97 attended the Russian language courses). |