Internal Security Fund (Border component)

• External Relations and Foreign Affairs
• Justice, Fundamental Rights and Home Affairs
• Transport, Tourism and Travel

The general objective of the Instrument is to contribute to ensuring a high level of security in the European Union.

• Supporting a common visa policy to facilitate legitimate travel, ensure equal treatment of third country nationals and tackle irregular migration;
• Supporting borders management, to ensure, on one hand, a high level of protection of external borders and, on the other hand, the smooth crossing of the external borders in conformity with the Schengen acquis.

Supported actions in or by Member States:

• Border crossing infrastructures, buildings and systems required at border crossing points and for surveillance between border crossing points and effective tackling of illegal crossing of the external borders;
• Operating equipment, means of transport and communication systems required for effective border control and the detection of persons, such as fixed terminals for VIS, SIS and the European Image Archiving System (FADO), including state-of-the-art technology;
• IT systems for the management of migration flows across borders; Infrastructures, buildings and operating equipment required for the processing of visa applications and consular co-operation;
• Studies, pilot projects and actions aiming to foster interagency cooperation within Member States and between Member States, and implementing the recommendations, operational standards and best practices resulting from the operational cooperation between Member States and Union Agencies.

Supported actions in relation to and in third countries:

• Information systems, tools or equipment for sharing information between Member States and third countries;
• Actions aiming to foster operational co-operation between Member States and third countries, including joint operations;
• Studies, events, training, equipment and pilot projects to provide ad hoc technical and operational expertise to third countries;
• Studies, events, training, equipment and pilot projects implementing specific recommendations, operational standards and best practices, resulting from the operational cooperation between Member States and Union agencies in third countries.

To provide additional incentives, the EU co-financing rate for national measures implementing any of these Union strategic priorities can be increased up to 90%, in accordance with the Horizontal Regulation, instead of 75%.