Brussels, 15.11.2011. COM(2011) 749 final.COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS.Building an open and secure Europe: the home affairs budget for 2014-2020 {SEC(2011) 1358 final} {SEC(2011) 1359 final}. Parliament approves the Commission’s proposal to liberalise rail services and calls for a plan for managing rail infrastructure and services, and the opening of rail passenger markets to competition.
The creation of an area of freedom, security and justice is a cornerstone of the European project. Home affairs policies contribute to this project by shaping a Europe where persons can enter, move and live freely, confident that their rights are respected and their security assured. An integrated approach to migration and security can bring benefits to the EU and its non-EU partners. The growing importance of home affairs policies has been confirmed by the Stockholm Programme1 and its Action Plan2. This is also one of the areas which have seen important changes under the Lisbon Treaty3. In the field of internal security, the Commission's communication on the Internal Security Strategy in Action4 identifies clear strategic goals and provides a basis for concerted action to address common security challenges in the years to come. Through cooperation and solidarity at EU level and with non-EU countries, substantial progress has been made towards creating a more open and secure Europe.
In spite of this progress, Europe still faces many challenges. A comprehensive, coherent and effective response is needed to the challenge of migration. Citizens also expect the Union to contribute to providing security by combating organised crime, terrorism and other threats. The EU budget plays an essential role in turning the Union's home affairs objectives into tangible results. The creation of an area of freedom, security and justice is achieved by means of a range of 'tools' including spending programmes, networks, large-scale IT systems and EU agencies.
In its Communication of 29 June 2011 on the next Multiannual Financial Framework5, the Commission proposed a home affairs budget of €10.9 billion (current prices) for the period 2014-2020 which represents a continuation of the level of spending foreseen at the end of the 2007-2013 financial framework and remains below 1% of the overall EU budget. Building on evaluation results and stakeholder consultation, the design of the next Multiannual Financial Framework is an opportunity to better align spending at EU level with the Union's strategic policy objectives. Crucially, it is also a chance to improve and simplify the way funding is delivered. This Communication sets out how the Commission has grasped these opportunities in the home affairs area.
