“We should set minimum spending targets for asylum, migration and integration so these priorities are not crowded out within a single national envelope — and it would be advisable to make ‘migration’ explicit in the regulation’s headings.” were the opening remarks of Arnoldas Abramavičius (LT/EPP), Councillor of the Zarasai District Municipality Council at a stakeholders consultation on the CoR draft opinion "Union support for asylum, migration and integration management for 2028–2034", a key element of the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework.
The consultation gathered representatives from local and regional authorities, EU institutions, civil society, international organisations, think tanks and academia to provide input for the ongoing drafting of the CoR opinion.
Against the backdrop of the EU’s major reform cycle in asylum and migration, the rapporteur underlined that implementation will ultimately succeed or fail where policies are delivered: in municipalities, cities and regions.
“Local and regional authorities carry much of the responsibility for reception and integration, and we are directly affected by how return systems work in practice. We will only be able to deliver on EU objectives if predictable and sufficient resources are secured in the next EU budget, tailored to needs on the ground,” said Arnoldas Abramavičius.
Key messages from the consultation
Participants discussed the Commission’s proposal to increase the overall envelope for Home Affairs and to allocate around €12 billion to migration and asylum management within the next programming period. While welcoming the stronger financial commitment, the rapporteur stressed that resources must effectively reach local communities that provide reception capacity and integration services.
A central focus of the debate was the proposed shift towards National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) (“one plan per Member State”), intended to streamline funding rules and increase flexibility across policy areas. CIVEX members and stakeholders highlighted that without clear safeguards, the model risks centralising decision-making and diluting migration and integration priorities.
“A single national plan may increase flexibility, but it also risks sidelining migration and integration unless cities and regions have structured roles in planning, management and monitoring, backed by legal safeguards,” Abramavičius added.
The consultation also addressed the implications of:
• Performance-based disbursement, which can incentivise results but may disadvantage municipalities with limited administrative capacity unless paired with strong technical assistance and capacity-building;
• The balance between flexibility and predictability, recognising the need to respond rapidly to crises while ensuring stable multiannual funding for housing, education, health and labour-market measures;
• The need to prepare for situations of instrumentalisation of migrants at external borders, ensuring that preparedness and resilience measures do not crowd out funding for reception and integration.
What regions and cities need in the 2028–2034 framework
Building on the CIVEX working document and the exchange of views with stakeholders, the rapporteur outlined priorities to be reflected in the CoR opinion, including:
• Guaranteed and structured participation of local and regional authorities in the preparation, management, monitoring and evaluation of NRPPs;
• Minimum spending targets or safeguarded allocations for asylum, migration and integration so these priorities do not compete unfairly within a single national envelope;
• Predictable multiannual funding for reception capacity and integration services, combined with crisis flexibility where needed;
• Dedicated support for administrative capacity-building, including technical assistance aligned with the performance-based model;
• A clear framework for labour-market integration, with sustainable funding to support inclusion, skills matching and pathways that help address workforce shortages.
Next steps
Stakeholder feedback from today’s consultation will feed into the drafting of the CoR opinion, to be discussed in CIVEX and adopted according to the CoR’s ongoing work programme.
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Background
On 16 July 2025, the European Commission proposed a Regulation establishing the Union’s support for asylum, migration and integration management in the 2028–2034 budgetary period. The proposal aims to strengthen the Common European Asylum System, support effective returns and the fight against irregular migration, promote legal migration and integration, and reinforce solidarity and responsibility-sharing among Member States. It also introduces National and Regional Partnership Plans as a key governance mechanism in the next MFF.