POLICY
The aim of the European Union’s home affairs policy is to create an area without internal borders where people may enter, move, live and work freely, confident that their rights are fully respected and their security assured.
The EU has a decisive role to play in addressing the threats of serious and organised crime, cybercrime and terrorism, and by ensuring the effective management of the EU’s external borders and responding swiftly to emerging crises caused by man-made or natural disasters. In the era of globalisation, where threats are growing and increasingly have a transnational dimension, no Member State is able to respond effectively on its own. A coherent and comprehensive European answer is needed to ensure that law enforcement authorities can work effectively across borders and jurisdictions.
Cooperation and solidarity at EU level have already enabled substantial progress in building a more open and secure Europe. The EU will continue to face important challenges, not least in the context of an ageing population and a declining labour force. A forward-looking legal immigration and integration policy is crucial to enhancing the EU’s competitiveness and social cohesion, enriching our societies and creating opportunities for all. We need to address irregular migration and combat trafficking in human beings and other forms of modern slavery. At the same time, the EU must continue to show solidarity with those in need of international protection. The completion of a more secure and efficient Common European Asylum System which reflects our values remains a priority.
Support from the EU budget can offer genuine added-value in this area. EU funding is a tangible sign of the solidarity and responsibility-sharing that are indispensable in responding to our common challenges. For example, control of the EU’s external borders is a basic condition for free movement and is carried out by some Member States in the interest of and on behalf of the entire EU. Moreover, in a situation where a Member State is confronted with exceptional pressures on its borders, the EU should be able to provide adequate support. Similarly, those Member States which, due to their geographical situation, incur disproportionate costs as a result of migration flows should receive appropriate financial support through the EU budget.
EU funding can also help to promote efficiencies through the pooling of resources and reinforcing transnational practical cooperation between Member States, and between Member States and third countries. This is particularly relevant in the area of internal security, where financial support for joint operations such as Joint Investigation Teams enhances cooperation between police, customs, border guards and judicial authorities.
In addition to support for the internal aspects of home affairs policies, sufficient EU funding should also be available to reinforce the external dimension of home affairs policy in full coherence with EU external action; for example, by providing support for implementing readmission agreements and Mobility Partnerships, by helping third countries to develop their border surveillance capabilities or by providing funding for the fight against international criminal networks, trafficking in human beings and the smuggling of weapons and drugs.

INSTRUMENTS
The Commission proposes to simplify the structure of EU funding in this area by reducing the number of financial programmes to two:
–The Migration and Asylum Fund will support actions in relation to asylum and migration, the integration of third-country nationals and return.
–The Internal Security Fund will provide financial assistance for initiatives in the areas of external borders and internal security.
Both funds should have a sizeable external dimension in order to ensure that the EU has the means to pursue its home affairs policy priorities in relations with third countries and to uphold the interests of the EU. Financial support will be made available to ensure territorial continuity of financing, starting in the EU and continuing in third countries. For instance, in relation to resettlement of refugees, readmission agreements, regional protection programmes, the fight against irregular migration, reinforcing border management and police cooperation with e.g. neighbouring countries.
The instruments will also provide for a rapid response in case of emergencies, with the fund(s) designed so that the EU can react appropriately in rapidly-evolving situations.

IMPLEMENTATION
The reduction in the number of programmes and their corresponding implementing rules will streamline procedures and allow for a better understanding of the rules by all stakeholders.
Moving to shared management rather than direct management where possible will remove unnecessary bureaucratic burdens. Direct management will be maintained for specific transnational or particularly innovative projects and to support non-state actors, as well as to promote events and studies. It will also be maintained for the flexible emergency response mechanism and the external dimension.
For the funds under shared management, it is proposed to move to a system of results-driven multi-annual programming, instead of annual programmes. This will contribute to a better focus on objectives and outputs, reducing the workload for all stakeholders and shortening the time needed for the approval of the national programmes, thereby speeding up the release of funds.
A number of agencies support the EU’s work in this area, including Europol, Frontex, the European Asylum Support Office, European Police College, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the IT Agency. There is scope and need for improving synergy and coherence between the activities of the Commission and its agencies in order to ensure that the agencies are effective in supporting practical cooperation among Member States.
Large-scale IT systems (such as SIS II and VIS) account for a significant share of the budget in this area. They bring a high EU added value. These systems are currently being managed by the Commission, but their management will gradually be transferred to the future IT Agency, which will begin operations in 2012. The IT Agency will also be responsible for developing and managing future IT systems in this area.

PROPOSED BUDGET ALLOCATION FOR 2014-2020
All figures in constant 2011 prices
Total proposed budget 2014-2020 €8.23 bn
of which
• Migration and Asylum Fund €3.4 bn
•Internal Security Fund €4.1 bn
•IT systems €730 million