Fonds voor de buitengrenzen 2007-2013 – België
The Commission has adopted the multiannual programme under the External Borders Fund 2007-2013 for Belgium for an estimated amount of € 26 Million Euro, together with the first two annual programmes (2007 and 2008).
Vice President Jacques BARROT in charge of the Justice, Freedom and Security portfolio, welcomed the adoption of Belgium's multiannual programme for the implementation of the External Borders Fund. "With the approval of this multiannual programme, Belgium has shown its commitment to the establishment of the common integrated border management system. The programme reinforces the scope of the External Borders Fund as a catalyst for cooperation among Member States towards meeting the challenges of border control in a rapidly changing globalised world.
Belgium has chosen to implement all five of the Fund's strategic priorities:
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-Further gradual establishment of the common integrated border management system;
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-Development of the national components of a European Surveillance system;
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-Support for the issuing of visas and the tackling of illegal immigration by the consular services of the Member States in third countries;
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-Establishment of IT systems required by Community rules on external borders and visas (VIS and SIS);
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-Application of the Community rules on borders and visas, in particular the Schengen Borders Code and the European Code on Visas.
Among the projects financed in the 2007 and 2008 annual programmes in Belgium are:
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-Strengthen surveillance capability at the maritime borders, through the acquisition of specialised video equipment designed to cover Belgium's seaports areas, as well as facilitate aerial supervision of maritime border zones via helicopter-mounted equipment;
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-Improving consular activity and consular cooperation with Member States, through the deployment of field workers and document advisors in third countries; these liaison officers, specialised in the processing of sensitive visa files and detection of forged documents, will build consular capacity and make it available to other Member States operating in the same geographical areas. Greater efficiency in the processing of visas will also be achieved through co-location of Belgian visa officers in consular premises of other Member States (i.e. France).
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Background:
The External Borders Fund is one of the four financial instruments of the General Programme on "Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows" which encourages a fair share of responsibilities between Member States arising from the introduction of integrated management of the external borders and from the implementation of common policies on asylum and immigration. The other three Funds are: the European Fund for the Integration of Third country nationals, the European Return Fund and the European Refugee Fund.
The External Borders Fund establishes a financial solidarity mechanism to support countries which endure, for the benefit of the Community, a lasting and heavy financial burden arising from the implementation of common standards on control and surveillance of external borders and visa policy.
The overall budget of this Fund for 2007-2013 is € 1820 million, distributed as follows:
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-€ 1543 million distributed among Member States on the basis of objective criteria expressing the burden of each state for external border control and visa policy for actions under national programmes;
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-€ 109 million (6%) directly managed by the Commission and dedicated to Community actions.
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-€ 108 million for the Kaliningrad transit scheme implemented by Lithuania
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-€ 60 million for specific actions at strategic border points at the external borders on the basis of risk analyses carried out by the FRONTEX Agency.
For more information on the activities of Vice-President Barrot, please see: