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Internal Security Fund (ISF Borders)

The Internal Security Fund for external borders and visas (ISF Borders) was established for the period 2014–2020 as the successor instrument to the External Borders Fund (EBF). The ISF, like the EBF before it, disbursed project-tied funds to support Schengen States that incur high costs in protecting Schengen external borders as a result of their long land or maritime borders or significant international airports. The fund seeked to improve the efficiency of border controls and thus the protection of external borders, and to lower the number of illegal entries.

The financial support earmarked to implement the fund was € 2.76 billion. Over the full duration of the fund, Switzerland was allocated nearly € 32.7 million from the fund for implementing national measures. Over the seven-year term of the fund, Switzerland has contributed € 120.2 million . Switzerland was therefore a net contributor – as it was also the case for the EBF– because our country's only Schengen external borders are its airports with international air traffic. Switzerland participated in the ISF Borders within the framework of its Schengen association.

Due to an extensive procedure related to the adoption of the relevant legal basis, Switzerland had only been officially participating in the ISF Borders since 1 August 2018.

The State Secretariat for Migration was, as for the predecessor instrument EBF, responsible for the implementation of the fund in Switzerland.

Documents

Legal bases

Basic documents

(The following documents are not available in English)

Evaluation

Publicity

Links

Last modification 11.02.2025

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