External Borders Fund (EBF)

Switzerland participated retroactively from 2009 in the External Borders Fund (EBF), which expired at the end of 2013 and was successfully closed at the end of 2016. EBF was part of the General Programme "Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows" of the European Union (EU).The EBF was a solidarity fund used in particular to support Schengen countries that had to bear high costs protecting Schengen external borders due to their extensive land and maritime borders. The aim of the fund was to improve the efficiency of controls and thus the protection of external borders, and to reduce the level of illegal entries. The entry of authorised persons, on the other hand, was to be facilitated and accelerated.

The fund was set up for the period 2007-2013. Switzerland participated in it within the framework of its Schengen association.

Financial resources from the EBF were used to finance projects to enhance the protection and management of Schengen external borders in Member States. The EBF’s overall budget amounted to 1,820 million euros. Switzerland contributed a total of 53.4 million euros into the fund and received 17.6 million euros. Switzerland’s position as a net contributor to the fund stems from the fact that its only Schengen external borders are at airports with international air traffic.

With its funds from the EBF, Switzerland co-financed several projects in relation to visas, notably the link to the European Union’s central visa information system (CS-VIS) and a new national visa system. In the area of borders, the fund was used to co-finance new border control systems including the required technical equipment and the deployment of two Immigration Liaison Officers.

The State Secretariat for Migration was responsible for all aspects of Swissparticipation in the fund, as it was for the ISF-Border fund and now for the BMVI fund.

Last modification 03.08.2022

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