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Statement signed by 18 organisations, including the following Social Platform members: Red Cross EU Office, Caritas Europa, COFACE Families Europe, Eurodiaconia, European Council on Refugees and Exiles, European Network Against Racism, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants and Save the Children.

As European Union (EU) co-legislators resume trilogue negotiations on the basis of their negotiating mandates on the AMF proposal, the undersigned organisations are joining forces to reiterate and highlight key recommendations and concerns. This statement should be read jointly with the detailed comments and exhaustive analysis of the proposal issued by the undersigned organisations.

The undersigned organisations acknowledge that the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF 2021-2027) negotiations are taking place during a challenging time. The substantial increase in funding proposed for asylum and migration is, however, welcomed by the undersigned civil society organisations (CSOs) and UN agencies, as a well-resourced AMF can play an important role in ensuring a rights-based and holistic approach to asylum and migration in the European Union.

Furthermore, we anticipate that the ongoing negotiations might result in delays and implementation gaps for EU-funded programmes in 2021. It is, thus, essential that Member States invest in their own national budgets to avoid European funds becoming the only source of funding available to support asylum and migration programmes. The AMF funds are and should remain complementary to national budgets, and actions financed through this instrument should have a strong European added value.

Read the full statement here.