EU Council agrees negotiating position on migration, border and security funding for 2028-2034

Today, the Council agreed its partial negotiating position on the regulations setting out the EU's financial support for migration, border management and visas, and internal securityfor the period 2028 to 2034. These financial instruments will help member states implement the pact on migration and asylum, ensure efficient management of the EU's external borders and visa processing, and fight internal security threats.

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The three regulations provide the legal framework for EU support in these areas and form part of the EU's overall budget for 2028 to 2034. The negotiating position is 'partial' because it excludes financial envelopes and horizontal issues.

These are currently being discussed as part of the overall negotiations on the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) covering the period 2028 to 2034. It is clear that we need to manage migration and borders together as a Union.

With today's agreement, we pave the way towards delivering crucial support to EU countries as they implement the pact on migration and asylum and modernise border management. Support must also be available to fight crime and terrorism, both online and offline, and to help law enforcement do their job.

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Jim O'Callaghan, Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration On migration and asylum, EU support will help strengthen the common European asylum system and promote legal migration, integration and social inclusion. It will ensure solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility between member states.

Support will also contribute to effective, safe and dignified return with a focus on aspects going beyond border management, such as readmission and reintegration in non-EU countries, while helping to counter irregular migration. When it comes to border management and visa, EU support will focus on promoting the efficient management of external borders and effective, safe and dignified return.

It will also contribute to the efficiency of the visa policy, to the well-functioning of the Schengen area, and will help safeguard the free movement of persons. On internal security, the key objectives are to better prevent and combat internal security threats, including serious and organised crime, terrorism, violent extremism and cybercrime; improve information exchange at Union level as well as with non-EU countries; intensify law enforcement cooperation and manage security-related incidents, risks and crises.

A new objective will focus on enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure against hostile acts. As an important novelty compared to the EU's long-term budget for 2021-2027, EU support for migration, border management and internal security will be delivered through national and regional partnership plans.

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Each member state will prepare one single comprehensive plan detailing their planned investments and reforms. Within the national and regional partnership plans, member states will be able to respond to pressing needs and changes in policy and Union priorities and to steer funding towards actions with a high level of Union added value.

In its position, the Council gives member states additional flexibility in managing the funds available to maximise impact. Member states would not need to contribute to each of the objectives of Union support.

Instead, they would focus on the most relevant ones, depending on their specific needs and challenges.

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