EU Financial Tools for the Implementation of the Schengen Acquis

With the aim to help countries accessing the Schengen Area to secure and manage the external borders of the extended European Union and to apply the Schengen standards in all aspects related to the borders and the Schengen Information System, a temporary financial tool was created, the so-called Schengen Facility (Schengen Transition Fund used in the SR between 2004 - 2007; the Schengen Means II for Rumania and Bulgaria between 2007 - 2009). The fund for external borders establishes financial solidarity among the Schengen Area states. Its idea is to support states which, in the interest of all the states, bear the permanent and heavy burden related to applying common standards of control and surveillance of external borders and visa policy.

Projects carried out in the Slovak Republic:

Financial means of the Schengen Facility were drawn by the Ministry of Interior of the SR, the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the SR, the Ministry of Finance of the SR – Customs Directorate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SR. Out of the total of 22 approved projects, 13 project were carried out by the Ministry of Interior of the SR, 4 projects by the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the SR – the airport of M. R. Štefánika Bratislava, 3 projects by the Customs Directorate of the SR and 2 projects by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SR. Financial means of this Fund were intentionally determined and drawn for the construction and implementation of the Schengen standards before the SR joined the Schengen Area. The total height of the financial means drawn from the Schengen Transition Fund was € 53 975 542.41 Slovak budget contribution amounted to € 24 776 673.59, representing approximately 31.5% of the total costs.

Building a national interface of the 2nd generation Schengen Information System (NS SIS II) requires each state to invest huge financial means. In order to disburden the national budgets, the EU creates financial tools – funds - enabling to draw financial means for the approved projects. Currently the Slovak Republic is drawing financial means from the External Borders Fund 2007 – 2013, among other purposes also to build the NS SIS II. Total financial means of € 1 553 700 have been planned for 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 for the second stage of building the NS SIS II. The first stage of the NS SIS II was financed by the means of the Schengen Facility between 2004 – 2006 at the total height of € 3 818 602,71.

As a part of the Cross-border Co-operation Programme of the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic for the period of 2007 – 2013, the Slovak Republic in co-operation with the Czech Republic applied for a grant to construct a common integrated rescue system centre in Hodonín, a part of which should also be a common contact police centre for both of these states. The submitted application was approved and this centre is put into operation since 2011.

Following an appeal to apply for a grant within the Programme on Prevention of and Fight against Crime, the Slovak Republic in co-operation with the Czech Republic submitted an application for a grant called 'Increasing the efficiency of hot pursuit on the Czech-Slovak border’. As a part of this project an audio-visual aid for hot pursuit will be created for the policemen who can pursuit criminals abroad and also for secondary vocational schools of the Police Force and Academy of the Police Force.