PURPOSE: to amend Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 establishing, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy, as regards the financial envelope and the allocation for the thematic facility.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: since the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2021/1148, unprecedented geopolitical events have occurred, triggered by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, the ensuing energy crisis and the related spike in inflation and interest rates. These geopolitical and economic evolutions have brought new emergencies which should be addressed to deliver on the Union’s shared priorities and needs.

Taking into account the near exhaustion of the limited budgetary flexibilities and the limits reached by redeployment possibilities, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) had to be reinforced for the period 2024-2027 to provide for the most essential funding in order to respond to urgent and common challenges including migration and border management.

On 29 February 2024, the Council adopted an amendment to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 with the consent of the European Parliament for the mid-term revision of the MFF.

The MFF revision includes increases of resources for several EU programmes. To mitigate the impact of the revision of the MFF on national budgets, these increases will be partly compensated by redeployments and reprioritisations within the EU budget. The net increase of funding for new priorities amounts to EUR 21 billion until the end of this MFF.

This requires modifying the expenditure ceilings, as well as, in some cases, amendments of the budgetary provisions of the legislative acts for the programmes or instruments concerned. In particular, Regulation (EU) No 2021/1148 must be amended as the appropriate increase of the financial envelope of the programme goes beyond the flexibility under that Interinstitutional Agreement.

There is a parallel proposal amending several other regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the Commission proposal provides for amendments to Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 to increase the financial envelope for the implementation of the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy through an increase in the thematic facility allocation by EUR 1 000 000 000 in current prices.

The reinforcement will provide funding for the implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and to support Member States in managing urgent challenges and needs related to migration and border management in frontline Member States, as well as in those affected by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

In particular, it is proposed to set: (i) the financial envelope for the instrument to EUR 6 241 000 000; (ii) the allocation for thematic facility to EUR 2 573 000 000.