Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (2021-2027)

KEY POINTS

The regulation setting up the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) 2021-2027 is one of several regulations adopted by the EU in the area of freedom, justice and security. These include:

• Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 establishing, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (see summary);
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1149 establishing the Internal Security Fund (see summary).

Objectives

The fund has 4 specific objectives:

• strengthening and developing the Common European Asylum System, including its external dimension;
• strengthening and developing legal migration to EU Member States, which includes promoting integration and social inclusion;
• contributing to efforts countering illegal migration and enhancing safe and dignified return and readmission;
• enhancing solidarity and the sharing of responsibility between Member States.

Budget and allocation of funds

• The fund has a budget of €9.882 billion for the period of 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027, the duration of the multiannual financial framework.
• €6.270 billion is allocated to Member State programmes and €3.612 billion to the ‘thematic facility’, which has several components including
  • specific actions
  • direct management actions at EU level
  • emergency assistance, resettlement and relocation
  • the European Migration Network.
• Each Member State receives a fixed sum of €8 million at the beginning of the programming period, with the exception of Cyprus, Greece and Malta which receive €28 million each.
• The remaining allocation is divided as follows
  • 35% for asylum
  • 30% for legal migration and integration
  • 35% for illegal migration and returns.
• Member States must allocate at least 15% of their allocation to the asylum and legal migration and integration objectives.
• a minimum of 20% of the thematic facility should be assigned to the solidarity objective.

Resettlement, humanitarian admission and relocation

The fund grants lump sums to Member States for the following cases:

• €10,000 for each person admitted through resettlement, including family members;
• €6,000 for each person admitted through humanitarian admission, with the amount increased to €8,000 for vulnerable persons — family members may also be eligible;
• €10,000 for each applicant / beneficiary of international protection transferred from one Member State to another, including family members.

Non-EU countries

• The fund can support actions in or in relation to non-EU countries if they:
  • contribute to the fund’s objectives;
  • are not development-oriented;
  • are coordinated with other EU actions; and
  • are consistent with the EU’s priorities and external policy.
• Specific actions concerning cooperation with non-EU countries and reintegration assistance can be supported through the thematic facility.
• Non-EU countries can also be associated with the fund, subject to specific guarantees and agreements.