The Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) is set up for the period 2021-2027 with a total of EUR 9.88 billion. AMIF aims to further boost national capacities and improve procedures for migration management, as well as to enhance solidarity and responsibility sharing between Member States, in particular through emergency assistance and the relocation mechanism.
AMIF will contribute to the achievement of four specific objectives:
- to strengthen and develop all aspects of the common European asylum system, including its external dimension;
- to support legal migration to the Member States, including by contributing to the integration of third-country nationals;
- to contribute to countering irregular migration and ensuring effectiveness of return and readmission in third countries;
- to enhance solidarity and responsibility sharing between the Member States, in particular towards those most affected by migration and asylum challenges.
The Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Latvia is the managing authority of AMIF in Latvia for the planning period from 2021 to 2027, while the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia is the delegated authority on integration issues.
At the end of 2022, the European Commission approved the national programme of the AMIF for 2021-2027, submitted by the Ministry of the Interior, amounting to EUR 41.8 million. In early 2024, the European Commission approved an increase in funding, with a total of €46.3 million available under the AMIF national programme. The aim of the AMIF is to help manage migration flows effectively and to implement, strengthen and develop common asylum and immigration policies in response to the growing challenges of migration.
The area of asylum and migration in Latvia has been particularly topical since 2021, when the increased interest of third-country nationals in Latvia was observed. Irregular migration has intensified due to the precarious situation in the countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, resulting in Latvia experiencing the provocation inherent to hybrid wars, such as the migration flows to Latvia promoted by the Belarusian regime.
At the same time, the increase in the number of migrants, as well as the hybrid war of irregular migration and its future potential, point to the need to strengthen the capacity to process information related to persons illegally crossing the border and detained foreigners. It is also necessary to find solutions for the accommodation and humanitarian assistance of detained foreigners for those asylum seekers who need it, as well as for the return of migrants to their home countries, with the support of the European Union through AMIF.
As part of AMIF, it is intended to ensure the development of asylum and migration digitization processes, to modernize the single migration information system, to increase professional qualifications of employees in the field of migration flow management, to develop the capacity of Latvian authorities in the field of asylum, migration and naturalization, to organize and improve the process of returning foreigners to their home countries, and to improve the capacity of detainees accommodation conditions. In the field of integration, the creation of a “one-stop agency” will be a major activity, where a combination of services from different institutions would provide support to foreigners who start their lives in Latvia.
AMIF will digitize and modernize public administration by creating a user-oriented public service. In addition, people's capacity to exercise their legitimate rights will be promoted; the effectiveness of the justice and law enforcement system will be enhanced, simplification of legal processes will take place. Substantial support will be provided to the civil society, the non-governmental sector, which will be able to implement projects in the field of integration. Persons illegally crossing the border will be assisted to return to their home countries. Also, civilians fleeing the Russian war in Ukraine will be provided with assistance - goods and services of first necessity. European Union funding will help Latvia to fulfil its international obligations.
During AMIF planning period 2021-2027, Latvia has access to:
1) EUR 46 262 838.65, including European Union co-financing of EUR 35 396 016.00 and national co-financing of EUR 10 866 822.65;
2) EUR 7 800 000.00 - European Union emergency assistance funding (for measures related to support provided to Ukrainian civilians fleeing Russian military aggression in Ukraine, as well as to security in the event of future migration crises);
3) €3,080 933.15 - European Union emergency assistance funding (intended for the establishment of the accommodation centre “Liepna” for asylum seekers).
The approved national programme of the AMIF submitted by the Ministry of the Interior for the period 2021-2027 please see here.
General information of the AMIF 2021-2027 planning period please see below in the video.