Border Management and Visa Policy Instrument (BMVI)

The Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVl) has been established under the Integrated Border Management Fund for the period 2021-2027. This Fund succeeds the Internal Security Fund (ISF Border, 2014-2020) and the External Borders Fund (EBF, 2007-2013). Like the previous ones, this Fund aims to support, through project funding contributions, Schengen States with particularly extensive land and sea borders or with major international airports on their territory. These states face a heavy financial burden in protecting the external borders of the Schengen area. The mission of the BMVI is to ensure an efficient integrated European management of the Union's external borders, guaranteeing a high level of internal security while preserving the free movement of persons within the Union.

The allocation for the BMVI corresponds to EUR 6.24 billion for the seven-year period. The BMVI is a development of the Schengen acquis that must in principle be adopted by the Schengen Associated States, to which Switzerland belongs.

The State Secretariat for Migration is responsible for the implementation of the instrument in Switzerland and is therefore the contact point for questions related to the submission of a project.

Program

As part of the BMVI, the policy objective of the Instrument is to ensure strong and effective European integrated border management at the external borders, thereby contributing to ensuring a high level of internal security within the Union, while safeguarding the free movement of persons within it and fully respecting the relevant Union acquis and the international obligations of the Union and the Member States arising from the international instruments to which they are party.

Within the policy objective, the instrument shall contribute to the following specific objectives (SO):

SO1: supporting effective European integrated border management at the external borders, implemented by the European Border and Coast Guard as a shared responsibility of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the national authorities responsible for border management, to facilitate legitimate border crossings, to prevent and detect illegal immigration and cross-border crime and to effectively manage migratory flows;

SO2: supporting the common visa policy to ensure a harmonised approach with regard to the issuance of visas and to facilitate legitimate travel, while helping to prevent migratory and security risks.