The Union’s objective to constitute an area of freedom, security and justice should be achieved, inter alia, through common measures framing a policy on asylum and immigration, based on solidarity between Member States, which is fair towards third countries and their nationals. The European Council of 2 December 2009 recognised that financial resources within the Union should be made increasingly flexible and coherent, in terms of both scope and applicability, to support policy developments in the field of asylum and migration.
(2)
In order to contribute to the development of the common Union policy on asylum and immigration and to the strengthening of the area of freedom, security and justice in the light of the application of the principles of solidarity and responsibility-sharing between the Member States and cooperation with third countries, this Regulation should establish the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (‘the Fund’).
(3)
The Fund should reflect the need for increased flexibility and simplification, while respecting requirements in terms of predictability, and ensuring a fair and transparent distribution of resources to meet the general and specific objectives laid down in this Regulation.
(4)
Efficiency of measures and quality of spending constitute guiding principles in the implementation of the Fund. Furthermore, the Fund should also be implemented in the most effective and user-friendly manner possible.
(5)
The new two-pillar structure of funding in the field of home affairs should contribute to the simplification, rationalisation, consolidation and transparency of funding in that field. Synergies, consistency and complementarity should be sought between different funds and programmes, including with a view to allocating funding to common objectives. However, any overlap between the different funding instruments should be avoided.
(6)
The Fund should create a flexible framework allowing Member States to receive financial resources under their national programmes to support the policy areas under the Fund according to their specific situation and needs, and in the light of the general and specific objectives of the Fund, for which the financial support would be the most effective and appropriate.
(7)
The Fund should express solidarity through financial assistance to Member States. It should enhance the effective management of migration flows to the Union in areas where the Union adds maximum value, in particular by sharing responsibility between Member States and by sharing responsibility and strengthening cooperation with third countries.
(8)
In order to contribute to the achievement of the general objective of the Fund, Member States should ensure that their national programmes include actions addressing the specific objectives of this Regulation, and that the allocation of resources between objectives ensures that the objectives can be met. In the unusual event that a Member State wishes to derogate from the minimum percentages laid down in this Regulation, the Member State concerned should provide a detailed justification within its national programme.
(9)
To ensure a uniform and high-quality asylum policy and apply higher standards of international protection, the Fund should contribute to the effective functioning of the Common European Asylum System, which encompasses measures relating to policy, legislation, and capacity-building, while acting in cooperation with other Member States, Union agencies and third countries.
(10)
It is appropriate to support and improve the efforts made by Member States to fully and properly implement the Union asylum acquis, in particular to grant appropriate reception conditions to displaced persons and applicants for, and beneficiaries of, international protection, to ensure the correct determination of status, in accordance with Directive 2011/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), to apply fair and effective asylum procedures and to promote good practice in the field of asylum, so as to protect the rights of persons requiring international protection and enable Member States’ asylum systems to work efficiently.
(11)
The Fund should offer adequate support to joint efforts by Member States to identify, share and promote best practices and establish effective cooperation structures in order to enhance the quality of decision-making in the framework of the Common European Asylum System.
(12)
The Fund should complement and reinforce the activities undertaken by the European Asylum Support Office (‘EASO’) established by Regulation (EU) No 439/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5), with a view to coordinating practical cooperation between Member States on asylum, supporting Member States subject to particular pressure on their asylum systems and contributing to the implementation of the Common European Asylum System. The Commission may make use of the possibility offered by Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6) to entrust EASO with the implementation of specific, ad hoc tasks, such as the coordination of Member States’ actions on resettlement in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 439/2010.
(13)
The Fund should support the efforts by the Union and the Member States relating to the enhancement of the Member States’ capacity to develop, monitor and evaluate their asylum policies in the light of their obligations under existing Union law.
(14)
The Fund should support the efforts made by Member States to provide international protection and a durable solution in their territories to refugees and displaced persons identified as eligible for resettlement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (‘UNHCR’), such as the assessment of the resettlement needs and transfer of the persons concerned to their territories, with a view to granting them a secure legal status and to promoting their effective integration.
(15)
The Fund should provide support for new approaches concerning access to asylum procedures in a safer manner, in particular by targeting main countries of transit such as protection programmes for particular groups or certain procedures for examination of applications for asylum.
(16)
It is in the nature of the Fund that it should be able to provide support to voluntary burden-sharing operations agreed between Member States and consisting of the transfer of beneficiaries of international protection, and of applicants for international protection, from one Member State to another.
(17)
Partnerships and cooperation with third countries to ensure the adequate management of inflows of persons applying for asylum or other forms of international protection are an essential component of Union asylum policy. With the aim of providing access to international protection and durable solutions at the earliest possible stage, including in the framework of Regional Protection Programmes, the Fund should include a strong Union resettlement component.
(18)
To improve and reinforce the integration process in European societies, the Fund should facilitate legal migration to the Union in accordance with the economic and social needs of Member States and anticipate the preparation of the integration process already in the country of origin of the third-country nationals coming to the Union.
(19)
In order to be efficient and achieve the greatest added value, the Fund should pursue a more targeted approach, in support of consistent strategies specifically designed to promote the integration of third-country nationals at national, local and/or regional level, where appropriate. Those strategies should be implemented mainly by local or regional authorities and non-state actors, while not excluding national authorities, in particular where the specific administrative organisation of a Member State would so require, or where, in a Member State, integration actions fall within a competence shared between the State and decentralised administration. The implementing organisations should choose the measures most appropriate to their particular situation from a range of measures available.
(20)
The implementation of the Fund should be consistent with the Union’s Common Basic Principles on Integration, as specified in the Common Programme for Integration.
(21)
The scope of the integration measures should also include beneficiaries of international protection in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to integration, taking into account the specificities of those target groups. Where integration measures are combined with reception measures, actions should, where appropriate, also allow applicants for international protection to be included.
(22)
To ensure the consistency of the Union’s response to the integration of third-country nationals, actions financed under the Fund should be specific and complementary to actions financed under the European Social Fund. In this context, the authorities of the Member States responsible for the implementation of the Fund should be required to establish cooperation and coordination mechanisms with the authorities designated by Member States for the purpose of the management of the interventions of the European Social Fund.
(23)
For practical reasons, some actions may concern a group of people which can be more efficiently addressed as a whole, without distinguishing between its members. It would therefore be appropriate to provide for the possibility for those Member States that would so wish to provide in their national programmes that integration actions may include immediate relatives of third-country nationals, to the extent that it is necessary for the effective implementation of such actions. The term ‘immediate relative’ would be understood as meaning spouses, partners, and any person having direct family links in descending or ascending line with the third-country national targeted by the integration action, and who would otherwise not be covered by the scope of the Fund.
(24)
The Fund should support Member States in setting up strategies organising legal migration, enhancing their capacity to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate in general all immigration and integration strategies, policies and measures for third-country nationals, including Union legal instruments. The Fund should also support the exchange of information, best practices and cooperation between different departments of administration as well as with other Member States.
(25)
The Union should continue and expand the use of Mobility Partnerships as the main strategic, comprehensive and long-term cooperation framework for migration management with third countries. The Fund should support activities in the framework of Mobility Partnerships taking place either in the Union or in third countries and aimed at pursuing Union needs and priorities, in particular actions ensuring the continuity of funding encompassing both the Union and third countries.
(26)
It is appropriate to continue supporting and encouraging efforts by the Member States to improve the management of the return of third-country nationals in all its dimensions, with a view to the continuous, fair and effective implementation of common standards on return, in particular as set out in Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (7). The Fund should promote the development of return strategies at national level within the concept of integrated return management, and also measures supporting their effective implementation in third countries.
(27)
As regards the voluntary return of persons, including persons who wish to be returned even though they are under no obligation to leave the territory, incentives for such returnees, such as preferential treatment in the form of enhanced return assistance, should be envisaged. This kind of voluntary return is in the interests of both returnees and the authorities in terms of its cost-effectiveness. Member States should be encouraged to give preference to voluntary return.
(28)
However, from a policy point of view, voluntary and enforced return are interlinked and have a mutually reinforcing effect, and Member States should therefore be encouraged in their return management to reinforce the complementarities of the two forms. There is a need to carry out removals in order to safeguard the integrity of the immigration and asylum policy of the Union and the immigration and asylum systems of the Member States. Thus, the possibility of removals is a prerequisite for ensuring that this policy is not undermined and for enforcing the rule of law, which itself is essential to the creation of an area of freedom, security and justice. The Fund should therefore support actions of Member States to facilitate removals in accordance with the standards laid down in Union law, where applicable, and with full respect for the fundamental rights and dignity of returnees.
(29)
It is essential for the Fund to support specific measures for returnees in the country of return, in order to ensure their effective return to their town or region of origin under good conditions and to enhance their durable reintegration into their community.
(30)
Union readmission agreements are an integral component of the Union return policy and a central tool for the efficient management of migration flows, as they facilitate the swift return of irregular migrants. Those agreements are an important element in the framework of the dialogue and cooperation with third countries of origin and transit of irregular migrants, and their implementation in third countries should be supported in the interests of effective return strategies at national and Union level.
(31)
The Fund should complement and reinforce the activities undertaken by the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union, established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004 (8), part of the tasks of which are to provide Member States with the necessary support for organising joint return operations and identifying best practices on the acquisition of travel documents and the removal of illegally staying third-country nationals in the territories of the Member States, as well as to assist Member States in circumstances requiring increased technical and operational assistance at the external borders, taking into account that some situations may involve humanitarian emergencies and rescue at sea.
(32)
In addition to supporting the return of persons as provided for in this Regulation, the Fund should also support other measures to combat illegal immigration or the circumventing of existing legal migration rules, thereby safeguarding the integrity of Member States’ immigration systems.
(33)
The Fund should be implemented in full respect for the rights and principles enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and for the fundamental rights enshrined in the relevant international instruments, including the relevant case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. Eligible actions should take account of the human rights-based approach to the protection of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers and should, in particular, ensure that special attention is paid to, and a dedicated response is provided for, the specific situation of vulnerable persons, in particular women, unaccompanied minors and other minors at risk.
(34)
The terms ‘vulnerable persons’ and ‘family members’ are defined differently in different acts relevant for this Regulation. They should therefore be understood in the meaning of the relevant act, bearing in mind the context in which they are used. In the context of resettlement, Member States that resettle should closely consult the UNHCR in relation to the term ‘family members’ in their resettlement practices and actual resettlement processes.
(35)
Measures on and in relation to third countries supported through the Fund should be adopted in synergy and in coherence with other actions outside the Union supported through Union external assistance instruments, both geographic and thematic. In particular, in implementing such actions, full coherence should be sought with the principles and general objectives of Union’s external action and foreign policy related to the country or region in question. The measures should not be intended to support actions that are directly oriented towards development and should complement, when appropriate, the financial assistance provided through external aid instruments. The principle of policy coherence for development, as set out in paragraph 35 of the European Consensus on Development, should be respected. It is also important to ensure that the implementation of emergency assistance is consistent with and, where relevant, complementary to the Union’s humanitarian policy and respects humanitarian principles as set out in the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid.
(36)
A large part of the available resources under the Fund should be allocated proportionately to the responsibility borne by each Member State through its efforts in managing migration flows on the basis of objective criteria. For that purpose, the latest available statistical data collected by Eurostat under Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council (9) relating to the migration flows, such as the number of first asylum applications, the number of positive decisions granting refugee or subsidiary protection status, the number of resettled refugees, the number of legally residing third-country nationals, the number of third-country nationals who have obtained an authorisation issued by a Member State to reside, the number of return decisions issued by national authorities and the number of effected returns, should be used.
(37)
The allocation of basic amounts to Member States is laid down by this Regulation. The basic amount is composed of a minimum amount and an amount calculated on the basis of the average of 2011, 2012 and 2013 allocations for each Member State under the European Refugee Fund, established by Decision No 573/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (10), the European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals established by Council Decision 2007/435/EC (11) and the European Return Fund established by Decision No 575/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (12). The calculation of allocations was made in accordance with the distribution criteria laid down in Decision No 573/2007/EC, Decision 2007/435/EC and Decision No 575/2007/EC. In the light of the European Council conclusions of 7-8 February 2013, which underlined that particular emphasis should be given to insular societies who face disproportional migration challenges, it is appropriate to increase the minimum amounts for Cyprus and Malta.
(38)
Whilst it is appropriate for an amount to be allocated to each Member State on the basis of the latest available statistical data, part of the available resources under the Fund should also be distributed for the implementation of specific actions which require cooperative effort amongst Member States and generate significant added value for the Union, as well as for the implementation of a Union Resettlement Programme and the transfer of beneficiaries of international protection from one Member State to another.
(39)
For that purpose, this Regulation should establish a list of specific actions eligible for resources from the Fund. Additional amounts should be allocated to those Member States which make a commitment to implement such actions.
(40)
In the light of the progressive establishment of a Union Resettlement Programme, the Fund should provide targeted assistance in the form of financial incentives (lump sums) for each resettled person. The Commission, in cooperation with the EASO and in accordance with their respective competences, should monitor the effective implementation of resettlement operations supported under the Fund.
(41)
With a view to increasing the impact of the Union’s resettlement efforts in providing protection to persons in need of international protection and maximising the strategic impact of resettlement through a better targeting of those persons who are in greatest need of resettlement, common priorities with respect to resettlement should be formulated at Union level. Those common priorities should be amended only where there is a clear justification for doing so, or in the light of any recommendations from the UNHCR, on the basis of the general categories specified in this Regulation.
(42)
Given their particular vulnerability, some categories of persons in need of international protection should always be included in the common Union resettlement priorities.
(43)
Taking into account the resettlement needs set out in the common Union resettlement priorities, it is also necessary that additional financial incentives are provided for the resettlement of persons with respect to specific geographic regions and nationalities, as well as to the specific categories of persons to be resettled, where resettlement is determined to be the most appropriate response to their special needs.
(44)
To enhance the solidarity and better share the responsibility between the Member States, in particular towards those most affected by asylum flows, a similar mechanism based on financial incentives should also be established for the transfer of beneficiaries of international protection from one Member State to another. Such a mechanism should reduce the pressure on Member States receiving higher numbers of asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, either in absolute or proportionate terms.
(45)
The support provided by the Fund will be more efficient and bring greater added value if a limited number of compulsory objectives are identified in this Regulation, to be pursued in the programmes drawn up by each Member State and taking into account its specific situation and needs.
(46)
It is important for enhanced solidarity that the Fund provides, in coordination and in synergy with the humanitarian assistance managed by the Commission where appropriate, additional support to address emergency situations of heavy migratory pressure in Member States or third countries, or in the event of mass influx of displaced persons, pursuant to Council Directive 2001/55/EC (13), through emergency assistance. Emergency assistance should also include support to ad hoc humanitarian admission programmes aimed at allowing temporary stay on the territory of a Member State in the event of an urgent humanitarian crisis in third countries. However, such other humanitarian admission programmes are without prejudice to, and should not undermine, the Union’s resettlement programme that explicitly aims as from the start to provide a durable solution to persons in need of international protection transferred to the Union from third countries. To that end, Member States should not be entitled to receive additional lump sums in respect of persons granted temporary stay on the territory of a Member State under such other humanitarian admission programmes.
(47)
This Regulation should provide financial assistance for the activities of the European Migration Network established by Council Decision 2008/381/EC (14), in accordance with its objectives and tasks.
(48)
Decision 2008/381/EC should therefore be amended to align procedures and to facilitate the provision of appropriate and timely financial support to the National Contact Points that are referred to in that Decision.
(49)
In the light of the purpose of financial incentives allocated to the Member States for resettlement and/or the transfer of beneficiaries of international protection from one Member State to another in the form of lump sums, and because they represent a small fraction of the actual costs, this Regulation should provide for certain derogations from the rules on the eligibility of expenditure.
(50)
In order to supplement or amend provisions of this Regulation on lump sums for resettlement and transfer of beneficiaries of international protection from one Member State to another and on the definition of specific actions and of common Union resettlement priorities, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) should be delegated to the Commission. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council.
(51)
In the application of this Regulation, including the preparation of delegated acts, the Commission should consult experts from all Member States.
(52)
In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (15).
(53)
Funding from the Union budget should concentrate on activities where the Union intervention can bring additional value compared to the action of Member States alone. As the Union is in a better position than Member States to provide a framework for expressing Union solidarity in the management of migration flows, financial support provided under this Regulation should contribute, in particular, to strengthening national and Union capabilities in this area.
(54)
There is a need to maximise the impact of Union funding by mobilising, pooling and leveraging public and private financial resources.
(55)
The Commission should monitor the implementation of the Fund in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 514/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (16), with the aid of common indicators for evaluating results and impacts. Those indicators, including relevant baselines, should provide the minimum basis for evaluating the extent to which the objectives of the Fund have been achieved.
(56)
In order to measure the achievements of the Fund, common indicators should be established in relation to each of its specific objectives. The common indicators should not affect the optional or mandatory nature of the implementation of related actions as laid down in this Regulation.
(57)
For the purpose of its management and implementation, the Fund should form part of a coherent framework consisting of this Regulation and Regulation (EU) No 513/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (17). For the purposes of the Fund, the partnership provided for in Regulation (EU) No 514/2014 should include relevant international organisations, non-governmental organisations and social partners. Each Member State should be responsible for establishing the composition of the partnership and the practical arrangements concerning its implementation.
(58)
Since the objective of this Regulation, namely contributing to the efficient management of migration flows and to the implementation, strengthening and development of the common policy on asylum, subsidiary protection and temporary protection and the common immigration policy, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States but can rather be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective.
(59)
Pursuant to Articles 8 and 10 TFEU, the Fund should take account of the mainstreaming of equality between women and men and anti-discrimination principles.
(60)
Decisions No 573/2007/EC, No 575/2007/EC and 2007/435/EC should be repealed, subject to the transitional provisions set out in this Regulation.
(61)
In accordance with Article 3 of Protocol No 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice, annexed to the TEU and to the TFEU, and without prejudice to Article 4 of that Protocol, those Member States have notified their wish to take part in the adoption and application of this Regulation.
(62)
In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of Protocol No 22 on the position of Denmark, annexed to the TEU and to the TFEU, Denmark is not taking part in the adoption of this Regulation and is not bound by it or subject to its application.
(63)
It is appropriate to align the period of application of this Regulation with that of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 (18). Therefore, this Regulation should apply as from 1 January 2014,
