EU/Liechtenstein Agreement: supplementary rules in relation to the instrument for financial support for border management and visa policy

The European Parliament adopted by 492 votes to 32, with 75 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, 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.

Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement.

The Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVI Regulation), as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, constitutes a specific instrument in the context of the Schengen acquis designed to ensure strong and effective European integrated border management at external borders, while safeguarding the free movement of persons, in full compliance with the Member States' and associated countries' commitments on fundamental rights, and to support a uniform implementation of the common visa policy, thereby contributing to guaranteeing a high level of security in Member States and associated countries.

The Agreement sets out the supplementary rules necessary for the participation of the Principality of Liechtenstein in the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVI) as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund for the programming period 2021 to 2027.

The Agreement:

- offers the opportunity to implement actions in shared management, direct and indirect management modes, and the Agreement should therefore ensure that the implementation in any of these methods is made in the Principality of Liechtenstein in accordance with the principles and rules of the Union on financial management and control;

- ensures that all rules applicable to the management of the programmes should apply for the Principality of Liechtenstein in the same way as for Member States;

- introduces specific mechanisms for swift adjustments to the agreement with the Principality of Liechtenstein, in the event of changes to key Union legislation relevant to the implementation, such as the Financial Regulation and the Common Provisions Regulation;

- ensures, as well, that the mid-term review of the BMVI takes into account the delayed participation of the Schengen associated countries;

- extends the horizontal obligations concerning budgetary and financial controls to Liechtenstein;

- contains a provision on European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS);

- states that to facilitate the calculation and use of the annual contributions due by Liechtenstein to the BMVI, its contributions for the period 2021-2027 should be paid in five annual instalments from 2023 to 2027. From 2023 to 2025 the annual contributions are set in fixed amounts while the contribution due for the years 2026 and 2027 should be determined in 2026 on the basis of the nominal gross domestic product of all States participating in the BMVI taking into account the payments effectively made.