Access to EU Integration Funding

INTRODUCTION

Helsinki received 36,000 asylum seekers within eight months in 2015 but was granted no aid from the government despite the state obtaining EU emergency funds. Instead, the city had to rely largely on a network of volunteers given the need to address immediate demands of refugees and find an additional €10 million from its own budget.

Cities have a key role in integration, in arrival, transit and destination countries in Europe are in a central position regarding the social, humanitarian and financial challenges caused by migration. They have a particular role in guaranteeing basic protection to asylum applicants and in the reception and integration of newcomers in our society. Our cities are also the places where most asylum seekers wait for a decision on their asylum claim and where services (i.e. houses, schools, health, employments, etc.) are to be provided to them.

There are many projects for integration financed with EU funds. Within the current funding-structure integration-projects are funded mainly by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF), and the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). 

Cities nevertheless encounter various problems in accessing EU funds for integration, depending on the funds and the Member States or regions, ranging from a total lack of relevant calls for proposals in some Member States, to restrictive calls for proposals in others (e.g. difficulties to support large scale, long term, and comprehensive interventions). As a result, cities have documented difficulties on the access to funding relating to migrant and refugee reception and integration.

KEY TIMELINE

March 2018
The Partners published their recommendation paper for improving cities’ use of and access to integration funding.  The paper describes existing barriers in cities’ access to EU funds for integration and gives recommendations for better access to integration funding in the post-2020 programming period.

March 2018
The former mayor of Amsterdam communicated the Partnership recommendations to several European Commissioners and the European Parliament. 

May 2018
16th of May 2018 the former mayor/that time acting mayor of Athens Georgos Kaminis, presented the recommendations on behalf of the Partnership at a joint hearing in the European Parliament on Assessing the flow of EU migration funding within the Union”

March 2019
In March 2019 the European Parliament voted on a report establishing the future Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) for 2021-2027. This vote is a first victory for local governments as some of the Partnership recommendations were taken on board. This included earmarking, strengthening the cooperation between national and local governments and guaranteeing direct access to emergency funding. 

2019
Currently the negations are taking place at the level of the European Council and the European Parliament. The Partnership members are discussing the recommendations with their respective member states. 

OUTCOME 1 - REPORT CREATION

The project drafted proposals to reduce regulatory and practical barriers for cities and local authorities, while promoting tools to guarantee a better access to EU integration funding.

The paper containing recommendations was attached to a letter signed by the Mayor of Amsterdam and sent to relevant EU Institutions (Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr. Frans Timmermans, several Commissioners of relevant Directorates General, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee).

The main recommendations are:

• Include the possibility of granting direct access to emergency assistance for local governments under AMIF

• Ensure a minimum of 10% dedicated to integration

• Strengthen the partnership principle within the AMIF regulation beyond the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) scope to make sure that local governments and national associations of local and regional government are taken into account when designing, monitoring and evaluating National Work Programmes (shared management);

• Include national associations of local and regional government and/or urban authorities in partnership agreement at the national level for the management of AMIF under shared management.

• The earmarking of AMIF funds dedicated to integration should be increased from 20% to 30%. With a view to ensure that such resources would be accessed at the local level, a principle of conditionality should be applied to Member States and local authorities to access these earmarked funds; 

• Earmarking of ERDF to sustainable urban development shall be increased from 5 percent11 to 10/15 percent, while ensuring a specific of focus on deprived communities. 

• The Establishment of Financial Blending Facilities (see action 4).