Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË – Tel. +32 22991111

Office: LX46 01/171 - Tel. direct line +32 229-96837

EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR MIGRATION AND HOME AFFAIRS

Directorate E – Borders, Migration and Security in Member States I

The Director (acting)

Brussels HOME.F.2/WK

NOTE FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

FOR THE HOME AFFAIRS FUNDS

Ref.: HOME-Funds/2026/27

Subject: Launch of the call for expression of interest under the Specific Action

“Support for national Schengen governance frameworks” under the

Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa

Policy (BMVI) – Reference BMVI/2026/SA/1.3.2

1. INTRODUCTION

Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021

establishing, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Instrument for

Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy, provides that Member States

may receive funding for specific actions in addition to their initial allocations in their

respective programmes.

Specific actions aim to fund transnational or national projects that bring Union added value

in accordance with the objectives of the Instrument for which one, several or all Member

States may receive an additional allocation to their programmes.

They will be implemented as one of the components of the Thematic Facility in line with

Art. 8 of the above-mentioned Regulation and in accordance with the relevant financing

decisions and work programmes for the BMVI Thematic Facility (1).

By the present note, the Member States participating in the BMVI (2) are invited to submit

an application under the specific action “Support for national Schengen governance

frameworks”, in line with the actions listed in the above-mentioned Commission’s

financing decision and work programme.

(1) Integrated Border Management Fund – Border Management and Visa Instrument (2021-27) (europa.eu).

(2) Reference to Member States in this note should be understood as including the Schengen associated

countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), for which the arrangements for their

participation in the BMVI are in place.

2

2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Specific actions are implemented by one or more Member States participating in the BMVI

(3) via funding received in addition to the allocation under their BMVI programmes.

Funding for specific actions is added to the Member States’ programme allocations by

means of a programme amendment. That additional funding is earmarked for the specific

action concerned and shall not be used for other actions in the Member State’s programme,

except in duly justified circumstances and as approved by the Commission through the

amendment of the programme.

Whereas the regular EU co-financing rate under the Member States’ programmes will not

exceed 75% of total eligible expenditure, projects implemented under specific actions may

benefit from an increased co-financing rate of up to 90% of total eligible expenditure.

Specific actions must be implemented by the Member States in accordance with the

BMVI (4) Regulation and the Common Provisions Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 (CPR) (5).

This includes the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Moreover,

Member States must ensure that the envisaged actions are not affected by a reasoned

opinion delivered by the Commission in respect of infringement proceedings under Article

258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) that put in doubt the

legality and regularity of expenditure or the performance of the actions (Article 8(5) of

Regulation (EU) 2021/1149).

Your attention is drawn to one provision of the CPR. As regard the value added tax

(“VAT”) eligibility regime, Article 64 (1)(c) of the CPR provides that VAT is not eligible,

except “for operations the total cost of which is below EUR 5 000 000 (including VAT).

3. CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

3.1. Indicative Budget available

The indicative amount envisaged for this call (BMVI /2025/SA/1.3.2) is EUR 4 million

(including technical assistance).

The requested amount should not be lower than EUR 400 000 and not higher than

EUR 1 000 000 per application.

Each Member State may submit only one application.

(3) Reference to Member States in this note should be understood as including the Schengen associated

countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), for which the arrangements for their

participation in the BMVI are in place. (4) Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021 establishing,

as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Instrument for Financial Support for Border

Management and Visa Policy.

(5) Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down

common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the

Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund

and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security

Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy.

3

If the objectives are not met, the Commission services may decide not to allocate the entire

amount envisaged for this call. The Commission services may also decide to reduce the

total amount of individual applications and/or establish a reserve list for applications or

parts of applications.

3.2. Background for the specific action

The 2025 State of Schengen Report (6) showed that around 65% of the recommendations

following a Schengen evaluation remain unimplemented, many of which are related to

strategic and governance aspects of the Schengen framework. Across all Schengen States,

for instance, Schengen evaluations issued 1226 recommendations under the national

Schengen governance dimension, of which 811 remain outstanding until March 2026.

These concern inter-institutional coordination and cooperation for the effective

implementation of the Schengen acquis, ineffective functioning of the authorities,

insufficient national capabilities, fragmented situational awareness and information

exchange, inadequate quality control systems in place, shortcomings on effective cross-

sectoral implementation of large-scale IT systems, gaps on data protection, and

fundamental rights aspects.

These deficiencies could result in critical vulnerabilities and impose significant operational

consequences on the functioning of Schengen. These persistent gaps need to be addressed

in order to prevent those deficiencies from undermining the integrity and overall security

of the Schengen area. Repeated findings under the Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring

Mechanism (SEMM) show that these implementation deficiencies often stem not only

from a lack of capacity, but from weak internal coordination and fragmented follow-up.

Strengthening national Schengen governance is therefore also a prerequisite for adequately

addressing evaluation recommendations and for ensuring coherence between national

measures and Union-wide priorities.

The 2025 and 2026 State of Schengen Reports and the Schengen cycle priorities endorsed

by the Council in June 2025 (7) identified the consolidation of national Schengen

governance frameworks as a priority for all Schengen States, with a particular focus on

developing effective national governance systems with stronger internal coordination of

all Schengen-related matters and streamlined strategic processes. This political

commitment was further reinforced in the Schengen Declaration, adopted in June 2025

to mark the 40th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement (8), in which the Council

committed to further consolidating Schengen governance at EU and national levels and

underlined that appropriate EU-level funding for structural investments and for addressing

identified priorities, vulnerabilities and deficiencies is key to a well-functioning Schengen

area. Member States are therefore encouraged to take further action to improve their

national Schengen governance frameworks and ensure the well-functioning of the

Schengen area. This political commitment was most recently confirmed at the June 2026

Justice and Home Affairs Council, which adopted Council Conclusions on strengthening

EU and national Schengen governance (9) inviting Member States to further develop an

(6) COM/2025/185 final.

(7) 9380/1/25.

(8) 10068/25.

(9) 9420/26.

4

integrated, whole-of-government approach ensuring coherent and coordinated action

across all relevant policy areas, and underlining that appropriate resources (including EU

funding) must be taken into due consideration for the effective implementation of national

Schengen frameworks, including in the context of the next Multiannual Financial

Framework (MFF).

Hence, this specific action is also launched in the context of the ongoing preparations for

the next MFF programming cycle, in which strengthening Schengen governance and the

integrity and security of the Schengen area is expected to become a central objective, with

Member States required to direct funding towards projects that contribute to this goal. In

this respect, Member States are strongly encouraged to carry out a thorough assessment of

their outstanding Schengen evaluation recommendations, the priorities identified under the

Schengen cycle, and the individual priorities communicated to them through their

Schengen scoreboard letters, to identify the most pressing governance needs that could be

addressed under this call. The lessons drawn from this specific action will inform the

design of future funding instruments and contribute to building a shared understanding of

what effective national Schengen governance looks like in practice.

3.3. Scope and purpose of the specific action

The objective of this specific action is to provide targeted support to Member States in

strengthening structures and tools for their national Schengen governance framework. This

will help foster operational coordination, enhance monitoring and facilitate effective and

continuous Schengen implementation.

This call is deliberately horizontal in scope. It builds on, but is distinct from, the earlier

BMVI Specific Action ‘To support Member States' national strategies for a European

integrated border management’ Ref: BMVI/2023/SA/1.2.3, that focused primarily on

reinforcing cooperation between border management authorities in the context of

European Integrated Border Management. The present call extends that logic to encompass

all national authorities responsible for implementing the Schengen acquis (including

border, police, migration, customs, judicial, and IT authorities), reflecting the integrated

and cross-cutting nature of Schengen governance.

Applications for this specific action should take into account the institutional and

administrative particularities of the Member State concerned. They could be put into effect

by means of cooperation agreements between authorities which would lay down forms of

cooperation, as well as concrete activities. Actions should primarily be focused on, and

initiated by individual Member States, but may be extended to other Member States when

the aim of the action is cooperation and the exchange of experiences.

The specific action can support the following activities:

1. Audit, analysis, study or impact assessment of the existing national Schengen

governance structures (including an assessment of institutional responsibilities, task

distribution, and inter-agency coordination arrangements) conducted either internally

or by an external contractor. On the basis of the findings and recommendations of

such an assessment, development of standard operating procedures and/or inter-

agency cooperation agreements to address identified gaps and strengthen the national

coordination framework.

5

2. Training activities, seminars, workshops and simulation exercises to strengthen

the capabilities of all national authorities responsible for Schengen implementation to

cooperate among themselves. Activities could include inter-agency workshops and

simulation exercises, the establishment of centralised training systems on several

areas of the Schengen acquis and the development of a national training strategy

ensuring that all relevant staff receive basic, specialised and refresher training to be

able to effectively implement specific elements of the Schengen acquis. Specific

support may also be directed towards training national Schengen coordinators and

their supporting staff, as well as building a national pool of Schengen evaluators.

Member States may also organise or participate in joint training activities, study visits,

and expert exchanges with other Schengen States, including on best practices

identified in recent Schengen evaluations, as compiled in the annex of the 2026 State

of Schengen Report (10).

3. Targeted pilot projects to test and improve practical cooperation, coordination and

communication arrangements among national authorities responsible for Schengen

implementation, particularly where Schengen evaluations or internal assessments

have identified specific gaps in inter-agency cooperation. Eligible activities include

field and table-top exercises, interoperability tests, and the piloting of new

coordination or reporting mechanisms involving the relevant national authorities.

Pilot projects may also be used to trial structural improvements (i.e. new inter-agency

coordination arrangements, communication tools, strengthen human resource

capacities) prior to their full-scale implementation.

4. Development, implementation or upgrading of IT infrastructure and

information management systems to strengthen monitoring capacities, streamline

inter-agency information sharing, and reduce administrative burden across national

authorities responsible for Schengen implementation. Eligible activities include

digital dashboards for tracking the implementation of Schengen evaluation

recommendations and action plan milestones, case management tools, and inter-

agency communication and reporting systems. Member States may also invest in the

setting up of a shared national portal or platform consolidating relevant information

across the different areas of Schengen implementation to support coordination and

institutional knowledge management at all levels.

Applications should present a clear intervention logic, demonstrating the added value of

the activities to be carried out. To that end, they should:

a) Describe the existing organisational setup, particularly the authorities at the national

level involved in Schengen implementation, as well as the relations between them and

the existing levels and methods of cooperation.

b) Describe the identified gaps and challenges, including the Schengen evaluation

recommendations, and explain how the proposed activities under the specific action

will address them and consolidate the Schengen evaluation framework. Illustrate any

complementarities with actions financed under other EU instruments and funds.

(10) SWD(2026) 150 final.

6

c) Identify the national authorities responsible for, and involved in, the implementation

of the activities under the specific action, and the national authorities (and, if

applicable, other Member States) that would benefit from it.

d) Provide a detailed workplan and explanation of how the requested EU contribution

will be used to achieve the purpose of this call.

3.4. Additional guidance / requirements from Member States

For proposals selected, applicants are expected to participate in monitoring and

dissemination activities, such as:

• Collection of information and data on project activities (participation of project

beneficiaries in questionnaires, information and awareness-raising campaigns,

studies).

• Transferability and peer learning potential: Workshops or committee meetings where

Member States’ projects would be presented and discussed with the aim of

disseminating best practices in the Member States (e.g. Schengen Matters Working

Party, Schengen Committee).

• Reports on the implementation of the project and discussion of the outputs in relevant

fora (Schengen Committee, Working Parties for Schengen Matters, Frontiers, Law

Enforcement, Information Exchange and Data Protection, Visa, and Integration,

Migration and Expulsion).

3.5. Expected results following the call

The main expected results are to improve national Schengen governance structures and to

address the relevant recommendations.

The supported actions are expected to result in:

• A structured diagnosis of the national governance structure and a concrete roadmap

for its improvement, resulting in clearer institutional responsibilities, operational

capacity and stronger inter-agency/ authority coordination;

• Practical validation of new or improved cooperation arrangements, with concrete

lessons learnt feeding directly into the broader strengthening of the national

framework; and

• More efficient and timely information flows between national authorities, supported

by digital tools that reduce administrative fragmentation and improve monitoring of

implementation.

These results are expected to contribute to a more coherent approach to Schengen

implementation, addressing key areas including operational coordination, implementation

monitoring, information management, and the implementation of the Schengen acquis.

Beyond the national level, this initiative is also expected to enhance cooperation and

convergence of practices among Member States. By supporting structural improvements

across a range of Member States simultaneously, this specific action contributes to raising

the overall standard of Schengen governance across the Union and to building the shared

foundation of mutual trust.

7

Stronger national Schengen governance frameworks will moreover produce indirect

benefits for the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum given that Schengen

and Pact implementation are mutually reinforcing (sharing common institutional actors,

operational processes and information flows). The coordination structures, strategic

capacities and inter-agency arrangements supported under this call will also contribute to

meeting the implementation requirements of the Pact.

For these reasons, the monitoring and dissemination activities referred to above form an

integral part of the work to be carried out under the specific action between the successful

applicants and the Commission.

4. PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION

4.1. Admissibility and assessment aspects

All EU Member States participating in the BMVI and the Schengen Associated Countries

are eligible (11).

The Specific Action proposed should not have started before 1 January 2025 and should

be completed by 31 December 2029.

The Commission services will assess the applications submitted by the Member States. To

be considered admissible an application must:

1. be submitted within the deadline (see below) to the BMVI specific actions functional

mailbox [email protected];

2. consist of the official BMVI/2025/SA/1.3.2 application form attached to this note

together with its annexes, which must be readable and complete (all fields necessary

for assessment are to be filled in);

3. be submitted by the Managing Authority on behalf of the entity in the Member State

that will be responsible for the implementation of the specific action;

4. identify a project beneficiary (an entity) that will be responsible for the

implementation of the specific action in the Member State;

The Commission services will assess admissible applications based on the following

criteria (12):

A. Relevance (maximum 45 points, minimum score 25 points):

(11) In the case of Liechtenstein, selected specific actions are to be implemented under direct management

according to Article 3, scope of participation, of the Agreement between the European Union and the

Principality of Liechtenstein on supplementary rules in relation to the Instrument for Financial Support

for Border Management and Visa Policy, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, for the

period 2021 to 2027 (http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2024/200/oj).

(12) Applications not meeting the minimum score of 25 points under criterion A, relevance, will not be

further assessed. Applications must meet the minimum score under both criterion A; relevance, B,

quality and C Impact, to be proposed for funding – depending on their overall ranking and budget

availability.

8

1. Clarity and consistency of the objectives and scope of the application against this

call’s objectives and expected results: degree to which the proposal would

contribute to supporting the national Schengen governance structure. Consideration

will be given to the extent to which the application ensures the structured

involvement of all relevant national authorities responsible for Schengen

implementation, reflecting a genuine whole-of-government approach. (10 points)

2. Added value to ongoing efforts: degree to which the activities of the proposal

reinforce and accompany existing activities relating to the improvement of

coordination, information sharing and cooperation between national authorities (10

points)

3. Justification of identified needs: the extent to which the application demonstrates a

clear diagnosis of existing gaps in the national Schengen governance structures,

including by reference to outstanding Schengen evaluation recommendations or

findings from national assessments. (10 points)

4. The four elements of the intervention logic listed under 3.3 Scope and purpose of

the specific action(a-d) (10 points)

B. Quality and content (maximum 25 points, minimum score 15 points):

The appropriateness of the design (methodology, organisation of work: actors involved

and their roles), the strategy for project management (including operational and financial

management) and implementation (timetable); the envisaged communication activities;

monitoring and reporting to achieve the expected results; risk management; and cost-

effectiveness (breakdown of financial support requested and its appropriateness in relation

to the scale and type of the activities and expected results).

C. Impact (30 points, minimum score 15 points):

1. Impact of the proposed action in relation to the objective of the call: how the project

will contribute to improving the overall Schengen implementation at national level.

Under this point consideration will be given to the role of the action in the follow-

up on relevant Schengen evaluation recommendations. (15 points)

2. Sustainability: how the project will continue having an impact on national

Schengen governance after the completion of the planned activities, through the

provision of sufficient resources (financial, human, etc.) and, where appropriate,

formal institutional arrangements. (15 points)

4.2. Application procedure

Deadline for the application

Member States are invited to submit their application by 24 September 2026 at the latest,

using the official BMVI/2025/SA/1.3.2 Application Form attached to this Note, together

with its annexes. The application may be submitted in any official EU language (project

abstract/summary should however always be in English). For reasons of efficiency, it is

strongly advised to use English for the entire application.

9

In line with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 (13), any document held by the Commission,

including documents containing sensitive information, may be subject to a request for

public access.

To ensure equal and fair treatment of the applications and allow the Commission to allocate

at the same date all the available funding, all applications will be assessed simultaneously.

Therefore, applications submitted after the deadline will not be admissible.

The Members of the Committee for the Home Affairs Funds will be informed at the latest

10 working days before the deadline for the submission of the applications in case the

deadline for the submission of applications is extended.

E-mail address for the application

The applications should be submitted to the BMVI specific actions functional mailbox:

[email protected]; Member States may submit

additional documentation if necessary.

No modification to the application is allowed once the deadline for submission has elapsed.

However, if there is a need to clarify certain aspects or to correct clerical mistakes, the

Commission services may contact the applicant/lead Member State during the evaluation

process. A reply should be provided by the Member State within 3 working days from the

request date.

Any requests for clarification of the Member States on this call for the expression of

interestmay be sent by 10 September 2026 at the latest, to the same BMVI specific actions

functional mailbox.

Requests should only be sent by the Managing authority. The Managing Authority has

an important role to explain to the potential beneficiaries the applicable rules and

specificities of the programmes in general and of a specific action in particular and to help

prepare applications for a specific action. The Managing Authority should be the contact

point and take the responsibility to review questions from potential beneficiaries and raise

questions to or request clarifications from the Commission services where necessary. As

projects under specific actions are managed at national level, according to national rules,

specific questions on eligibility of costs should be addressed first to the Managing

Authority.

To respect the equal treatment and transparency, the replies to the written requests for

clarification received will be sent to all Member States, via HOME-AFFAIRS-FUNDS-

[email protected].

Member States will be informed of the outcome of the assessment of the applications

towards November 2026.

(13) Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding

public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents

10

5. AMENDMENT OF THE BMVI PROGRAMMES AND ELIGIBILITY OF EXPENDITURE

After having been informed of the outcome of the call for expression of interest, each

successful Member State shall submit to the Commission a request to amend its BMVI

programme via SFC. The amended programme should include a short description of the

specific action, adjust the output and result indicators, and include the costs and codes

linked to this specific action (respectively in the description and under tables 1, 2 and 3 of

the relevant specific objective, and table 6 of the programme).

When amending a BMVI programme of a Member States, two situations may arise

regarding the eligibility of expenditure (14):

1. For Member States that have included all the types of interventions listed in Annex

VI table 1 of the BMVI Regulation that are relevant for the Specific Action “Support

for national Schengen governance frameworks” in table(s) 2.1.3 of the relevant

specific objective(s) in their initially approved BMVI programme: expenditure for the

Specific Action will be eligible as of [01/01/2025].

2. For Member States that have not included all the types of interventions listed in Annex

VI table 1 of the BMVI Regulation that are relevant for the Specific Action “Support

for national Schengen governance frameworks” in the tables in the table(s) 2.1.3 of

the relevant specific objective(s) in their initially approved BMVI programme:

expenditure for the Specific Action will be eligible from the date of submission by

the Member State of its request for amendment of the BMVI programme that will add

the respective types of interventions in the programme.

Yours faithfully,

Silvia MICHELINI

Enclosures: Annex I - Application form (to be filled in)

Annex II – Budget form (to be filled in)

Annex III – Performance Indicators

c.c.: Permanent Representations – JHA Counsellors

(14) Art. 63(7) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060.

Electronically signed on 23/06/2026 20:21 (UTC+02) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË – Tel. +32 22991111

Office: LX46 01/171 - Tel. direct line +32 229-96837

EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR MIGRATION AND HOME AFFAIRS

Directorate E – Borders, Migration and Security in Member States I

The Director (acting)

Brussels HOME.F.2/WK

NOTE FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

FOR THE HOME AFFAIRS FUNDS

Ref.: HOME-Funds/2026/27

Subject: Launch of the call for expression of interest under the Specific Action

“Support for national Schengen governance frameworks” under the

Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa

Policy (BMVI) – Reference BMVI/2026/SA/1.3.2

1. INTRODUCTION

Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021

establishing, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Instrument for

Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy, provides that Member States

may receive funding for specific actions in addition to their initial allocations in their

respective programmes.

Specific actions aim to fund transnational or national projects that bring Union added value

in accordance with the objectives of the Instrument for which one, several or all Member

States may receive an additional allocation to their programmes.

They will be implemented as one of the components of the Thematic Facility in line with

Art. 8 of the above-mentioned Regulation and in accordance with the relevant financing

decisions and work programmes for the BMVI Thematic Facility (1).

By the present note, the Member States participating in the BMVI (2) are invited to submit

an application under the specific action “Support for national Schengen governance

frameworks”, in line with the actions listed in the above-mentioned Commission’s

financing decision and work programme.

(1) Integrated Border Management Fund – Border Management and Visa Instrument (2021-27) (europa.eu).

(2) Reference to Member States in this note should be understood as including the Schengen associated

countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), for which the arrangements for their

participation in the BMVI are in place.

2

2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Specific actions are implemented by one or more Member States participating in the BMVI

(3) via funding received in addition to the allocation under their BMVI programmes.

Funding for specific actions is added to the Member States’ programme allocations by

means of a programme amendment. That additional funding is earmarked for the specific

action concerned and shall not be used for other actions in the Member State’s programme,

except in duly justified circumstances and as approved by the Commission through the

amendment of the programme.

Whereas the regular EU co-financing rate under the Member States’ programmes will not

exceed 75% of total eligible expenditure, projects implemented under specific actions may

benefit from an increased co-financing rate of up to 90% of total eligible expenditure.

Specific actions must be implemented by the Member States in accordance with the

BMVI (4) Regulation and the Common Provisions Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 (CPR) (5).

This includes the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Moreover,

Member States must ensure that the envisaged actions are not affected by a reasoned

opinion delivered by the Commission in respect of infringement proceedings under Article

258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) that put in doubt the

legality and regularity of expenditure or the performance of the actions (Article 8(5) of

Regulation (EU) 2021/1149).

Your attention is drawn to one provision of the CPR. As regard the value added tax

(“VAT”) eligibility regime, Article 64 (1)(c) of the CPR provides that VAT is not eligible,

except “for operations the total cost of which is below EUR 5 000 000 (including VAT).

3. CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

3.1. Indicative Budget available

The indicative amount envisaged for this call (BMVI /2025/SA/1.3.2) is EUR 4 million

(including technical assistance).

The requested amount should not be lower than EUR 400 000 and not higher than

EUR 1 000 000 per application.

Each Member State may submit only one application.

(3) Reference to Member States in this note should be understood as including the Schengen associated

countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), for which the arrangements for their

participation in the BMVI are in place. (4) Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021 establishing,

as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Instrument for Financial Support for Border

Management and Visa Policy.

(5) Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down

common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the

Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund

and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security

Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy.

3

If the objectives are not met, the Commission services may decide not to allocate the entire

amount envisaged for this call. The Commission services may also decide to reduce the

total amount of individual applications and/or establish a reserve list for applications or

parts of applications.

3.2. Background for the specific action

The 2025 State of Schengen Report (6) showed that around 65% of the recommendations

following a Schengen evaluation remain unimplemented, many of which are related to

strategic and governance aspects of the Schengen framework. Across all Schengen States,

for instance, Schengen evaluations issued 1226 recommendations under the national

Schengen governance dimension, of which 811 remain outstanding until March 2026.

These concern inter-institutional coordination and cooperation for the effective

implementation of the Schengen acquis, ineffective functioning of the authorities,

insufficient national capabilities, fragmented situational awareness and information

exchange, inadequate quality control systems in place, shortcomings on effective cross-

sectoral implementation of large-scale IT systems, gaps on data protection, and

fundamental rights aspects.

These deficiencies could result in critical vulnerabilities and impose significant operational

consequences on the functioning of Schengen. These persistent gaps need to be addressed

in order to prevent those deficiencies from undermining the integrity and overall security

of the Schengen area. Repeated findings under the Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring

Mechanism (SEMM) show that these implementation deficiencies often stem not only

from a lack of capacity, but from weak internal coordination and fragmented follow-up.

Strengthening national Schengen governance is therefore also a prerequisite for adequately

addressing evaluation recommendations and for ensuring coherence between national

measures and Union-wide priorities.

The 2025 and 2026 State of Schengen Reports and the Schengen cycle priorities endorsed

by the Council in June 2025 (7) identified the consolidation of national Schengen

governance frameworks as a priority for all Schengen States, with a particular focus on

developing effective national governance systems with stronger internal coordination of

all Schengen-related matters and streamlined strategic processes. This political

commitment was further reinforced in the Schengen Declaration, adopted in June 2025

to mark the 40th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement (8), in which the Council

committed to further consolidating Schengen governance at EU and national levels and

underlined that appropriate EU-level funding for structural investments and for addressing

identified priorities, vulnerabilities and deficiencies is key to a well-functioning Schengen

area. Member States are therefore encouraged to take further action to improve their

national Schengen governance frameworks and ensure the well-functioning of the

Schengen area. This political commitment was most recently confirmed at the June 2026

Justice and Home Affairs Council, which adopted Council Conclusions on strengthening

EU and national Schengen governance (9) inviting Member States to further develop an

(6) COM/2025/185 final.

(7) 9380/1/25.

(8) 10068/25.

(9) 9420/26.

4

integrated, whole-of-government approach ensuring coherent and coordinated action

across all relevant policy areas, and underlining that appropriate resources (including EU

funding) must be taken into due consideration for the effective implementation of national

Schengen frameworks, including in the context of the next Multiannual Financial

Framework (MFF).

Hence, this specific action is also launched in the context of the ongoing preparations for

the next MFF programming cycle, in which strengthening Schengen governance and the

integrity and security of the Schengen area is expected to become a central objective, with

Member States required to direct funding towards projects that contribute to this goal. In

this respect, Member States are strongly encouraged to carry out a thorough assessment of

their outstanding Schengen evaluation recommendations, the priorities identified under the

Schengen cycle, and the individual priorities communicated to them through their

Schengen scoreboard letters, to identify the most pressing governance needs that could be

addressed under this call. The lessons drawn from this specific action will inform the

design of future funding instruments and contribute to building a shared understanding of

what effective national Schengen governance looks like in practice.

3.3. Scope and purpose of the specific action

The objective of this specific action is to provide targeted support to Member States in

strengthening structures and tools for their national Schengen governance framework. This

will help foster operational coordination, enhance monitoring and facilitate effective and

continuous Schengen implementation.

This call is deliberately horizontal in scope. It builds on, but is distinct from, the earlier

BMVI Specific Action ‘To support Member States' national strategies for a European

integrated border management’ Ref: BMVI/2023/SA/1.2.3, that focused primarily on

reinforcing cooperation between border management authorities in the context of

European Integrated Border Management. The present call extends that logic to encompass

all national authorities responsible for implementing the Schengen acquis (including

border, police, migration, customs, judicial, and IT authorities), reflecting the integrated

and cross-cutting nature of Schengen governance.

Applications for this specific action should take into account the institutional and

administrative particularities of the Member State concerned. They could be put into effect

by means of cooperation agreements between authorities which would lay down forms of

cooperation, as well as concrete activities. Actions should primarily be focused on, and

initiated by individual Member States, but may be extended to other Member States when

the aim of the action is cooperation and the exchange of experiences.

The specific action can support the following activities:

1. Audit, analysis, study or impact assessment of the existing national Schengen

governance structures (including an assessment of institutional responsibilities, task

distribution, and inter-agency coordination arrangements) conducted either internally

or by an external contractor. On the basis of the findings and recommendations of

such an assessment, development of standard operating procedures and/or inter-

agency cooperation agreements to address identified gaps and strengthen the national

coordination framework.

5

2. Training activities, seminars, workshops and simulation exercises to strengthen

the capabilities of all national authorities responsible for Schengen implementation to

cooperate among themselves. Activities could include inter-agency workshops and

simulation exercises, the establishment of centralised training systems on several

areas of the Schengen acquis and the development of a national training strategy

ensuring that all relevant staff receive basic, specialised and refresher training to be

able to effectively implement specific elements of the Schengen acquis. Specific

support may also be directed towards training national Schengen coordinators and

their supporting staff, as well as building a national pool of Schengen evaluators.

Member States may also organise or participate in joint training activities, study visits,

and expert exchanges with other Schengen States, including on best practices

identified in recent Schengen evaluations, as compiled in the annex of the 2026 State

of Schengen Report (10).

3. Targeted pilot projects to test and improve practical cooperation, coordination and

communication arrangements among national authorities responsible for Schengen

implementation, particularly where Schengen evaluations or internal assessments

have identified specific gaps in inter-agency cooperation. Eligible activities include

field and table-top exercises, interoperability tests, and the piloting of new

coordination or reporting mechanisms involving the relevant national authorities.

Pilot projects may also be used to trial structural improvements (i.e. new inter-agency

coordination arrangements, communication tools, strengthen human resource

capacities) prior to their full-scale implementation.

4. Development, implementation or upgrading of IT infrastructure and

information management systems to strengthen monitoring capacities, streamline

inter-agency information sharing, and reduce administrative burden across national

authorities responsible for Schengen implementation. Eligible activities include

digital dashboards for tracking the implementation of Schengen evaluation

recommendations and action plan milestones, case management tools, and inter-

agency communication and reporting systems. Member States may also invest in the

setting up of a shared national portal or platform consolidating relevant information

across the different areas of Schengen implementation to support coordination and

institutional knowledge management at all levels.

Applications should present a clear intervention logic, demonstrating the added value of

the activities to be carried out. To that end, they should:

a) Describe the existing organisational setup, particularly the authorities at the national

level involved in Schengen implementation, as well as the relations between them and

the existing levels and methods of cooperation.

b) Describe the identified gaps and challenges, including the Schengen evaluation

recommendations, and explain how the proposed activities under the specific action

will address them and consolidate the Schengen evaluation framework. Illustrate any

complementarities with actions financed under other EU instruments and funds.

(10) SWD(2026) 150 final.

6

c) Identify the national authorities responsible for, and involved in, the implementation

of the activities under the specific action, and the national authorities (and, if

applicable, other Member States) that would benefit from it.

d) Provide a detailed workplan and explanation of how the requested EU contribution

will be used to achieve the purpose of this call.

3.4. Additional guidance / requirements from Member States

For proposals selected, applicants are expected to participate in monitoring and

dissemination activities, such as:

• Collection of information and data on project activities (participation of project

beneficiaries in questionnaires, information and awareness-raising campaigns,

studies).

• Transferability and peer learning potential: Workshops or committee meetings where

Member States’ projects would be presented and discussed with the aim of

disseminating best practices in the Member States (e.g. Schengen Matters Working

Party, Schengen Committee).

• Reports on the implementation of the project and discussion of the outputs in relevant

fora (Schengen Committee, Working Parties for Schengen Matters, Frontiers, Law

Enforcement, Information Exchange and Data Protection, Visa, and Integration,

Migration and Expulsion).

3.5. Expected results following the call

The main expected results are to improve national Schengen governance structures and to

address the relevant recommendations.

The supported actions are expected to result in:

• A structured diagnosis of the national governance structure and a concrete roadmap

for its improvement, resulting in clearer institutional responsibilities, operational

capacity and stronger inter-agency/ authority coordination;

• Practical validation of new or improved cooperation arrangements, with concrete

lessons learnt feeding directly into the broader strengthening of the national

framework; and

• More efficient and timely information flows between national authorities, supported

by digital tools that reduce administrative fragmentation and improve monitoring of

implementation.

These results are expected to contribute to a more coherent approach to Schengen

implementation, addressing key areas including operational coordination, implementation

monitoring, information management, and the implementation of the Schengen acquis.

Beyond the national level, this initiative is also expected to enhance cooperation and

convergence of practices among Member States. By supporting structural improvements

across a range of Member States simultaneously, this specific action contributes to raising

the overall standard of Schengen governance across the Union and to building the shared

foundation of mutual trust.

7

Stronger national Schengen governance frameworks will moreover produce indirect

benefits for the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum given that Schengen

and Pact implementation are mutually reinforcing (sharing common institutional actors,

operational processes and information flows). The coordination structures, strategic

capacities and inter-agency arrangements supported under this call will also contribute to

meeting the implementation requirements of the Pact.

For these reasons, the monitoring and dissemination activities referred to above form an

integral part of the work to be carried out under the specific action between the successful

applicants and the Commission.

4. PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION

4.1. Admissibility and assessment aspects

All EU Member States participating in the BMVI and the Schengen Associated Countries

are eligible (11).

The Specific Action proposed should not have started before 1 January 2025 and should

be completed by 31 December 2029.

The Commission services will assess the applications submitted by the Member States. To

be considered admissible an application must:

1. be submitted within the deadline (see below) to the BMVI specific actions functional

mailbox [email protected];

2. consist of the official BMVI/2025/SA/1.3.2 application form attached to this note

together with its annexes, which must be readable and complete (all fields necessary

for assessment are to be filled in);

3. be submitted by the Managing Authority on behalf of the entity in the Member State

that will be responsible for the implementation of the specific action;

4. identify a project beneficiary (an entity) that will be responsible for the

implementation of the specific action in the Member State;

The Commission services will assess admissible applications based on the following

criteria (12):

A. Relevance (maximum 45 points, minimum score 25 points):

(11) In the case of Liechtenstein, selected specific actions are to be implemented under direct management

according to Article 3, scope of participation, of the Agreement between the European Union and the

Principality of Liechtenstein on supplementary rules in relation to the Instrument for Financial Support

for Border Management and Visa Policy, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, for the

period 2021 to 2027 (http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2024/200/oj).

(12) Applications not meeting the minimum score of 25 points under criterion A, relevance, will not be

further assessed. Applications must meet the minimum score under both criterion A; relevance, B,

quality and C Impact, to be proposed for funding – depending on their overall ranking and budget

availability.

8

1. Clarity and consistency of the objectives and scope of the application against this

call’s objectives and expected results: degree to which the proposal would

contribute to supporting the national Schengen governance structure. Consideration

will be given to the extent to which the application ensures the structured

involvement of all relevant national authorities responsible for Schengen

implementation, reflecting a genuine whole-of-government approach. (10 points)

2. Added value to ongoing efforts: degree to which the activities of the proposal

reinforce and accompany existing activities relating to the improvement of

coordination, information sharing and cooperation between national authorities (10

points)

3. Justification of identified needs: the extent to which the application demonstrates a

clear diagnosis of existing gaps in the national Schengen governance structures,

including by reference to outstanding Schengen evaluation recommendations or

findings from national assessments. (10 points)

4. The four elements of the intervention logic listed under 3.3 Scope and purpose of

the specific action(a-d) (10 points)

B. Quality and content (maximum 25 points, minimum score 15 points):

The appropriateness of the design (methodology, organisation of work: actors involved

and their roles), the strategy for project management (including operational and financial

management) and implementation (timetable); the envisaged communication activities;

monitoring and reporting to achieve the expected results; risk management; and cost-

effectiveness (breakdown of financial support requested and its appropriateness in relation

to the scale and type of the activities and expected results).

C. Impact (30 points, minimum score 15 points):

1. Impact of the proposed action in relation to the objective of the call: how the project

will contribute to improving the overall Schengen implementation at national level.

Under this point consideration will be given to the role of the action in the follow-

up on relevant Schengen evaluation recommendations. (15 points)

2. Sustainability: how the project will continue having an impact on national

Schengen governance after the completion of the planned activities, through the

provision of sufficient resources (financial, human, etc.) and, where appropriate,

formal institutional arrangements. (15 points)

4.2. Application procedure

Deadline for the application

Member States are invited to submit their application by 24 September 2026 at the latest,

using the official BMVI/2025/SA/1.3.2 Application Form attached to this Note, together

with its annexes. The application may be submitted in any official EU language (project

abstract/summary should however always be in English). For reasons of efficiency, it is

strongly advised to use English for the entire application.

9

In line with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 (13), any document held by the Commission,

including documents containing sensitive information, may be subject to a request for

public access.

To ensure equal and fair treatment of the applications and allow the Commission to allocate

at the same date all the available funding, all applications will be assessed simultaneously.

Therefore, applications submitted after the deadline will not be admissible.

The Members of the Committee for the Home Affairs Funds will be informed at the latest

10 working days before the deadline for the submission of the applications in case the

deadline for the submission of applications is extended.

E-mail address for the application

The applications should be submitted to the BMVI specific actions functional mailbox:

[email protected]; Member States may submit

additional documentation if necessary.

No modification to the application is allowed once the deadline for submission has elapsed.

However, if there is a need to clarify certain aspects or to correct clerical mistakes, the

Commission services may contact the applicant/lead Member State during the evaluation

process. A reply should be provided by the Member State within 3 working days from the

request date.

Any requests for clarification of the Member States on this call for the expression of

interestmay be sent by 10 September 2026 at the latest, to the same BMVI specific actions

functional mailbox.

Requests should only be sent by the Managing authority. The Managing Authority has

an important role to explain to the potential beneficiaries the applicable rules and

specificities of the programmes in general and of a specific action in particular and to help

prepare applications for a specific action. The Managing Authority should be the contact

point and take the responsibility to review questions from potential beneficiaries and raise

questions to or request clarifications from the Commission services where necessary. As

projects under specific actions are managed at national level, according to national rules,

specific questions on eligibility of costs should be addressed first to the Managing

Authority.

To respect the equal treatment and transparency, the replies to the written requests for

clarification received will be sent to all Member States, via HOME-AFFAIRS-FUNDS-

[email protected].

Member States will be informed of the outcome of the assessment of the applications

towards November 2026.

(13) Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding

public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents

10

5. AMENDMENT OF THE BMVI PROGRAMMES AND ELIGIBILITY OF EXPENDITURE

After having been informed of the outcome of the call for expression of interest, each

successful Member State shall submit to the Commission a request to amend its BMVI

programme via SFC. The amended programme should include a short description of the

specific action, adjust the output and result indicators, and include the costs and codes

linked to this specific action (respectively in the description and under tables 1, 2 and 3 of

the relevant specific objective, and table 6 of the programme).

When amending a BMVI programme of a Member States, two situations may arise

regarding the eligibility of expenditure (14):

1. For Member States that have included all the types of interventions listed in Annex

VI table 1 of the BMVI Regulation that are relevant for the Specific Action “Support

for national Schengen governance frameworks” in table(s) 2.1.3 of the relevant

specific objective(s) in their initially approved BMVI programme: expenditure for the

Specific Action will be eligible as of [01/01/2025].

2. For Member States that have not included all the types of interventions listed in Annex

VI table 1 of the BMVI Regulation that are relevant for the Specific Action “Support

for national Schengen governance frameworks” in the tables in the table(s) 2.1.3 of

the relevant specific objective(s) in their initially approved BMVI programme:

expenditure for the Specific Action will be eligible from the date of submission by

the Member State of its request for amendment of the BMVI programme that will add

the respective types of interventions in the programme.

Yours faithfully,

Silvia MICHELINI

Enclosures: Annex I - Application form (to be filled in)

Annex II – Budget form (to be filled in)

Annex III – Performance Indicators

c.c.: Permanent Representations – JHA Counsellors

(14) Art. 63(7) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060.

Electronically signed on 23/06/2026 20:21 (UTC+02) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121

ANNEX III

Output and result indicators

for the specific action BMVI/2026/SA/1.3.2

The outputs and results of the specific action BMVI/2026/SA/1.3.2 contribute to the following

indicators set out in Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 – non-exhaustive list:

Specific Objective 11

Output indicators

O.1.8 The number of participants supported:

O.1.8.1 of which the number of participants in training activities.

O.1.10 The number of IT functionalities developed/maintained/upgraded.

Result indicators

R.1.16 The number of initiated/improved forms of cooperation of national authorities with the

EUROSUR national coordination centres.

R.1.18 The number of addressed recommendations from Schengen evaluations and from

vulnerability assessments in the area of border management.

R.1.19 The number of participants who report three months after a training activity that they

are using the skills and competences acquired during that training activity.

1 Article 3(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1148: “supporting effective European integrated border management at

the external borders, implemented by the European Border and Coast Guard as a shared responsibility of the

European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the national authorities responsible for border management, to

facilitate legitimate border crossings, to prevent and detect illegal immigration and cross-border crime and to

effectively manage migratory flows”

Electronically signed on 23/06/2026 20:21 (UTC+02) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121

ANNEX III

Output and result indicators

for the specific action BMVI/2026/SA/1.3.2

The outputs and results of the specific action BMVI/2026/SA/1.3.2 contribute to the following

indicators set out in Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) 2021/1148 – non-exhaustive list:

Specific Objective 11

Output indicators

O.1.8 The number of participants supported:

O.1.8.1 of which the number of participants in training activities.

O.1.10 The number of IT functionalities developed/maintained/upgraded.

Result indicators

R.1.16 The number of initiated/improved forms of cooperation of national authorities with the

EUROSUR national coordination centres.

R.1.18 The number of addressed recommendations from Schengen evaluations and from

vulnerability assessments in the area of border management.

R.1.19 The number of participants who report three months after a training activity that they

are using the skills and competences acquired during that training activity.

1 Article 3(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1148: “supporting effective European integrated border management at

the external borders, implemented by the European Border and Coast Guard as a shared responsibility of the

European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the national authorities responsible for border management, to

facilitate legitimate border crossings, to prevent and detect illegal immigration and cross-border crime and to

effectively manage migratory flows”

Electronically signed on 23/06/2026 20:21 (UTC+02) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121