European Funds Service

EU Home Affairs Funds 2014–2020

The European Union's objectives are geared towards establishing a stable, legal, and secure environment through:

• The Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), which contributes to the effective management of migration flows by supporting various aspects of the European Union's common asylum and immigration policy. The fund supports measures relating to asylum, legal immigration, and the integration of third-country nationals, as well as projects for returning third-country nationals residing illegally in the European Union.
• The Internal Security Fund (ISF), which aims to strengthen the efforts of EU member states to ensure the highest possible level of security within the European Union. The fund supports measures relating to external border management, the common visa policy, police cooperation, crime prevention, the fight against serious cross-border crime, crisis management, and the protection of EU critical infrastructure. 

Funds are allocated through projects based on:

• direct awards to the Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration, the Police, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, and the Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for the Support and Integration of Migrants, due to the specific nature of the project or technical or administrative competence (de jure or de facto monopoly, or security reasons; and
• public tenders in accordance with the non-profit principle.

The European Funds Service comprises two units:

The Internal Security and Migration Funds Task Force acts as the responsible authority for the 2014–2020 programming period, managing and supervising the AMIF and ISF national programmes. For the 2021–2027 programming period, the Task Force acts as the managing authority, managing and supervising the AMIF, ISF and BMVI programmes.

Its key tasks include:

• programme planning, i.e. preparing, updating, and submitting national programmes and action plans to the European Commission for approval,
• implementing the partnership principle and establishing the Monitoring Committee for the AMIF, ISF, and BMVI programmes,
• drafting and updating manuals, procedures, and rules to ensure the successful and efficient implementation of programmes,
• setting up and ensuring performance measurement frameworks,
• awarding funding via public tenders or direct awards (in accordance with non-discriminatory and transparent selection criteria that ensure accessibility for disabled persons and gender equality, as well as compliance with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the principle of sustainable development, and EU environmental policy in accordance with Articles 11 and 191(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU; in line with the AMIF,  ISF and BMVI programmes and their specific objectives, actions and measures, while ensuring they effectively contribute to achieving their goals),
• monitoring project implementation, deviations, and forecasts, and adopting appropriate regulatory measures,
• establishing and operating the MIGRA III system to digitally record and store all data required for monitoring, evaluation, financial management, verifications, and audits, while ensuring data security, integrity, confidentiality, and user authentication,
• ensuring and carrying out visibility, transparency and communication activities for the AMIF, ISF and BMVI programmes,
• carrying out management verifications to confirm that co-funded products and services have been delivered in accordance with applicable laws, the AMIF, ISF and BMVI programmes, and funding conditions,
• reviewing and auditing tasks transferred to the intermediate body,
• adopting all necessary measures to prevent, detect, and correct irregularities or fraud, and reporting on them, including information on beneficial ownership,
• implementing effective and proportionate anti-fraud measures and procedures based on identified risks,
• conducting the evaluation process for the AMIF, ISF and BMVI programmes,
• ensuring that enabling conditions are met and upheld throughout the entire programming period,
• drafting reimbursement orders to transfer EU contributions from dedicated sub-accounts into the national budget,
• organising training on the implementation of the AMIF, ISF and BMVI programmes,
• providing the intermediate body and beneficiaries with the information they need to carry out their tasks and operations;
• working together with the European Commission and other management and supervisory bodies,
• reporting to the European Commission and other supervisory bodies. 

The EU Funds Financial Control Section is responsible for financial operations and budget execution in compliance with European and Slovenian legislation, related internal acts, the adopted action plan for European Home Affairs Funds, and agreements concluded with the European Commission. Desk-based reviews of documentation are performed for AMIF and ISF projects and for centralised European projects, in order to evaluate cost eligibility. Furthermore, the eligibility of expenditure for financing from the budgets of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union is validated. Claims for reimbursement under EU Home Affairs Funds are prepared in the MIGRA II information system.

At the service level, expert guidance is provided to final beneficiaries in the planning, implementation, and reporting of projects co-financed by the funds. Two coordinating bodies ensure inter-ministerial coordination and stakeholder cooperation: the Inter-Ministerial Working Group for the coordination and operational alignment of the implementation of projects financed under the internal security and migration funds, which acts as a preparatory group, and the Monitoring Committee for Internal Security and Migration Funds, which acts as a decision-making body.