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Grants for projects which aims to support police cooperation, crime prevention and the fight against cross-border as well as serious and organised crime, including terrorism
Member States of the European Union with the exception of Denmark (“Member States participating in the ISF Police instrument”)
Objectives
* To support projects that enhance the prevention and fight against the smuggling of migrants by establishing Common Operational Partnerships (COPs) that would support structured cooperation between competent law enforcement authorities, judicial authorities and other relevant services of the participating EU Member States and third countries
Priorities
* Reinforced operational cooperation through the exchange of liaison officers in EU Member States and/or third country, including through the setting up or strengthening of specialised teams of investigators and magistrates, and mutual support for ongoing investigations if relevant. This may include the support for liaison magistrate posts;
* Provision of targeted capacity building and on-the-job mentoring/twinning opportunities for the enlisted competent authorities in third countries on detection, investigation techniques and collecting evidence for judicial proceedings in the area of migrant smuggling. When relevant, this should include a focus on document fraud and illicit financial flows linked to migrant smuggling;
* Support, guidance and sharing of best practice for establishing more effective inter- agency / inter-ministerial cooperation as well as improved procedures and organisational structures to encourage optimal allocation of resources, both at national and regional levels;
* Coordination and complementarity with on-going COPs and assimilated projects throughout their implementation, including those that are funded through the external financing instruments of the European Union ;
* Cooperation and exchange of information between the COP participants and the Member States’ liaison officers and the European Migration Liaison Officers (EMLOs) or other EU Agency liaison officers part of the European Network of Immigration Liaison Officers set up by the Regulation EU 2019/1240, in the country or region, while ensuring that Europol, Frontex and Eurojust are fully involved in the exchange and analysis of information, whenever relevant and within the respect of the applicable legal framework, including concerning the exchange of personal data. Cooperation, complementarity and consistency between COP and actions implemented in the same country or region, funded under the biennial work programme of the European Network of Immigration liaison officers should also be considered
Among financed actions
* Networking, mutual trust and understanding, as well as identification, exchange and dissemination of know-how, expertise and best practice, including through coordination and exchange of information between EU Member State liaison officers in the relevant third country and the European Migration Liaison Officers based in those countries, as well as other relevant EU Agency liaison officers;
* Information sharing, cooperation and coordination between law enforcement authorities and, where applicable, international organisations, including common operational partnerships and any other form of cross-border joint operation, access to and exchange of information and interoperable technologies;
* Training, on-the-job mentoring and twinning opportunities for staff and experts of relevant authorities, on the detection, investigation and prosecution methodologies in the area of migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, including on financial investigations and document fraud;
* Development of common training curricula and training courses for relevant law enforcement agencies, possibly in cooperation with local training institutions;
* Exchange of liaison officers in the respective countries, where appropriate, or, in agreement with partners, through participation in common operational activities such as joint investigations;
* Coordination and exchange of information between Member States’ liaison officers and the European Migration Liaison Officers (EMLOs) or other EU Agency liaison officers in the region, by making full use of already existing cooperation platforms and networks such as the Network of the Immigration Liaison Officers, and by ensuring that Europol, Frontex and Eurojust are fully involved in the exchange and analysis of information, whenever relevant and within the respect of the applicable legal framework, including concerning the exchange of personal data;
* Preparatory, administrative and technical support to the deployment of an EU Member State liaison officers and short-term experts to the region or for the deployment of relevant third country officials to an EU Member States;
* Making use of existing reporting mechanisms related to migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings in the relevant third countries, and if necessary support the setting up of information hubs (e.g. 24/7 call centre) for reporting, as well as quick communication of operational information to relevant local law enforcement entities to prevent migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings;
* Acquisition, maintenance, and/or further upgrading of technical equipment, including ICT systems and their components. During the implementation, the project should ensure full complementarity with other relevant on-going or upcoming projects in the region, as well as identifying synergies and opportunities to foster cooperation and information exchange with EU agencies, in particular Europol’s European Migrant Smuggling Centre and Information Clearing House, Frontex and Eurojust. In particular, initiatives need to be well targeted and complement EU-supported projects
Additional information
* This call for proposals is an open call for proposals
* Initial duration of the action: up to 36 months
* Eligibility:
– Public bodies, or by the competent authority’s mandate, a public or non-public implementing agency or body of a Member State of the European Union participating in the ISF Police instrument
– The action must involve at least two eligible entities established in two different EU Member States participating in the ISF Police instrument, or at least one EU Member State participating in the ISF Police instrument and one third country as a co-applicant
– Project applications must be submitted by at least two EU Member States or at least one EU Member State and one third country as co-applicant
* Grant amount: from 500,000 euro
* Co-financing rate: up to 90% of the total eligible costs
25 August 2021
