Member States' ambassadors to the European Union (Coreper) agreed on Wednesday 15 May to submit to the Interior Ministers in Luxembourg on 7 June a proposal for a partial political agreement ('general approach') on the Internal Security Fund (ISF) after 2020.
At this stage, the budget envelope is not identified, as it depends on negotiations on the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework.
A compromise had been presented at the end of March by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU and strongly supported, notes the Presidency in a document of 10 May. It concerns the following amendments to the Commission's initial text presented in June 2018 (see EUROPE 12039/8): - the objectives of the ISF, which is responsible for supporting Member States in their internal security actions (terrorism, cybercrime, etc.), have been extended to cover all forms of risks and crises; - the scope has also been extended to include the purchase or maintenance of standard equipment, means of transport and standard installations; - the role of decentralised agencies during the programming phase has been better defined and adapted to Member States' needs; - the advisory procedure has been replaced by the examination procedure for all types of comitology decisions; - the cofinancing rates for actions to combat cybercrime and projects to strengthen critical infrastructure have been increased.
On 13 March, the European Parliament adopted its position in plenary (see EUROPE 12213/9). It had adopted a budget of 2.5 billion euros at current prices (2.2 billion euros in 2018) for the ISF for the period 2021-2027. Of the agreed budget, 60% would be allocated to Member States. The remaining 40% would be reserved for unforeseen security issues. Objective: to respond quickly to emergencies and channel funds to those Member States most in need.
Coreper has yet to decide by 7 June whether it will also submit to Ministers the partial political agreements on the Asylum and Migration Fund and the Integrated Border Management Fund.
Ministers will also have a major discussion on the policies of their portfolios in the next legislative period. According to one source, there is no specific provision for disembarkation regimes for migrants rescued at sea. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)