29 May 2015

ECRE has published a note on the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) for 2014- 2020, which replaced the European Refugee Fund, the European Integration Fund and the European Return Fund. The fund supports actions addressing all aspects of migration, including asylum, legal migration, integration and return. The note provides a description of the actions and objectives covered in the AMIF and how they differ from previous EU Funds covering the migration field. It also gives some insight into the negotiations prior to the establishment of the AMIF. Finally, the note gives a brief overview of other EU Funds that can be relevant for organisations working on asylum and refugees.

With a total budget of €3.1 billion for 2014-2020, the AMIF surpasses by €1 billion the combined budget of the three funds it replaced. The bulk of the funds, €2.7 billion, are destined for national-level programmes, €360 million of which is reserved for resettlement and relocation. A budget of €385 million is planned for pan-European actions (Union Actions) and emergency actions.

It is foreseen that the wide range of actions that AMIF supports should better address the needs and challenges faced by asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Europe, and the note calls on Member States to make use of the possibilities offered by the fund, such as support to alternatives to detention and addressing identified needs.

 

This article originally appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 29 May 2015. You can subscribe to the Weekly Bulletin here.