| The Commission has adopted the multiannual programme under the External Borders Fund 2007-2013 for Poland for an estimated amount of € 78 million, together with the first annual programme (2007). Vice President Jacques BARROT in charge of the Justice, Freedom and Security portfolio, welcomed the adoption of the multiannual programme for the implementation of the External Borders Fund. "Actions foreseen in this multiannual programme will complement the investments financed under the Schengen Facility and PHARE pre-accession programmes and will reinforce the capacity of Poland to meet the challenges of border control after it recently joined the Schengen area. By procuring new equipment and by improving existing systems, Poland will contribute to the establishment of the common integrated border management system. Poland has chosen to implement all five of the Fund's strategic priorities: 1. Further gradual establishment of the common integrated border management system; 2. Development of the national components of a European Surveillance system and/or a permanent European Patrol Network at the southern maritime borders; 3. Support for the issuing of visas and the tackling of illegal immigration by the consular services of the Member States in third countries; 4. Establishment of IT systems required by Community rules on external borders and visas (VIS and SIS); 5. Application of the Community rules on external borders and visas, in particular the Schengen Borders Code and the European Code on Visas. Among the projects financed in the 2007 annual programme in Poland are: - Modernisation of the infrastructure at border crossings;
- Providing consular offices with equipment and software for biometric data collection;
- Development of the information system for control on the legality of foreigners’ stay.
Background: The External Borders Fund is one of the four financial instruments of the General Programme on "Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows" which encourages a fair share of responsibilities between Member States arising from the introduction of integrated management of the external borders and from the implementation of common policies on asylum and immigration. The other three Funds are: the European Fund for the Integration of Third country nationals, the European Return Fund and the European Refugee Fund. The External Borders Fund establishes a financial solidarity mechanism to support countries which endure, for the benefit of the Community, a lasting and heavy financial burden arising from the implementation of common standards on control and surveillance of external borders and visa policy. The overall budget of this Fund for 2007-2013 is € 1820 million, distributed as follows: - € 1543 million distributed among Member States on the basis of objective criteria expressing the burden of each state for external border control and visa policy for actions under national programmes;
- € 109 million (6%) directly managed by the Commission and dedicated to Community actions.
- € 108 million for the Kaliningrad transit scheme implemented by Lithuania
- € 60 million for specific actions at strategic border points at the external borders on the basis of risk analyses carried out by the FRONTEX Agency.
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