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EU: Council pushes for big increases in EU migration and security budgets

25 July 2016

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With the Council and the Parliament moving towards negotiations on the EU's budget for 2017, the Council has agreed its position and is calling for "€5.2 billion in commitments for specific migration-related expenditure" and increases of millions of euros in both commitments and payments from the Internal Security Fund.

EU budget for 2017: Council agrees its position (Slovakian Presidency of the Council press release, link):

"On 20 July 2016, the Council's Permanent Representatives Committee agreed its position on the 2017 EU draft budget for the upcoming negotiations with the European Parliament...

The Council's position provides for €5.2 billion in commitments for specific migration-related expenditure. This includes both internal actions, such as the effective management of migration flows, and external actions targeted at addressing the root causes of migration. It comprises €200 million for the EU emergency support mechanism that the Council set up on 15 March 2016 to help Greece and other member states overwhelmed by the arrival of large numbers of refugees. It also includes €750 million to reach the €1 billion contribution from the EU budget towards the €3 billion agreed for the Facility for Refugees in Turkey.

To ensure a high level of security in the EU the Council's position contains €738.6 million in commitments and €747.7 million in payments for the Internal Security Fund. This is a 14.4% and 89.3% increase respectively compared to 2016. It will help to further strengthen police cooperation, the prevention and combating of crime and crisis management.

To implement these priorities in full respect of the MFF for 2014-2020 the Council agreed to mobilise a number of special instruments, such as the global margin for commitments, the flexibility instrument and the contingency margin."

Budget breakdown: Draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2017 - Title 18 - Migration and home affairs (edited version of Council document 11166/16 ADD 5, pdf). The full version of the document can be found on the website of the Council (link).

The Parliament is yet to issue an opinion on the budget for 2017.

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