EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities under AMIF-2025-TF2-AG-INTE-05-CHILDREN

1. Direct Contribution to EU Policy Priorities

• Aligns with the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child (2021-2024) and the EU Action Plan on Integration & Inclusion (2021-2027).

• Supports implementation of the Common European Asylum System reforms, especially the newly agreed Screening & Asylum Procedures Regulations that introduce child-specific safeguards.

• Provides tangible evidence for the 2026 Commission report on the protection of children in migration, giving beneficiaries a chance to shape future legislation.

2. Added Value of Transnational Cooperation

• Cross-border referral chains: Funding can pilot interoperable referral pathways between first-entry, transit and destination Member States, reducing child disappearances and secondary movements.

• Joint training curricula: Developing one EU-wide training module for guardians, border guards and social workers is cheaper and leads to common standards.

• Mutual recognition of child-friendly age-assessment methods streamlines procedures and lowers litigation costs across jurisdictions.

3. Economies of Scale & Cost Efficiency

• Pooling resources for multi-lingual helplines, AI-based family tracing tools or digital case-management platforms avoids 27 parallel national investments.

• Centralised procurement (e.g. trauma-informed e-learning licences) can save up to 30 % compared with individual country purchases.

4. Access to EU-Level Knowledge & Data

• Beneficiaries gain priority access to Eurostat micro-data, EASO Country Guidance and Frontex risk analyses—assets rarely accessible to purely national projects.

• Harmonised indicators collected under the grant feed directly into EU monitoring dashboards, boosting the visibility of project results.

5. Synergies with Other EU Instruments

• ERDF & ESF+: physical infrastructure (reception centres, shelters) financed by the Structural Funds can be coupled with AMIF-funded child-protection services.

• Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV): joint calls on children’s rights allow cross-fund projects, increasing budget envelopes and policy reach.

• Digital Europe & Horizon Europe: AMIF can pilot tech solutions (e.g. blockchain ID for unaccompanied minors) that are then up-scaled with R&I funds.

6. Strategic Partnerships & Stakeholder Leverage

• Consortium requirement (≥2 Member States) fosters durable networks between ministries, child-protection agencies, NGOs and EU Agencies (FRA, EASO).

• Enhances social acceptance by involving EU-wide child-led organisations, promoting participatory approaches that resonate in multiple cultural contexts.

7. Amplified Impact & Dissemination

• EU branding increases media attention and political traction; pilots can be showcased during the 2027 European Year of Youth (prospected).

• The project’s deliverables will be uploaded to the EU Knowledge Hub on Children in Migration, guaranteeing long-term open access.

8. Legal & Procedural Certainty

• Harmonised grant agreement (AMIF-AG) provides a single legal framework, minimising administrative fragmentation and audit risks.

• Flat-rate indirect costs (7 % of eligible direct costs) simplify budgeting across partners.

9. Risk Diversification & Enhanced Resilience

• Spreading activities across multiple Member States cushions the project against local political shifts or sudden migration surges.

• Shared contingency planning (e.g. rapid relocation mechanisms) can be stress-tested EU-wide, making results more robust.

10. Long-Term Sustainability

• Successful models become eligible for structural funding under national AMIF programmes 2028-2034, ensuring financial continuity after the project ends.

• EU-level certification of training modules and digital tools facilitates their institutionalisation in national child-protection systems.

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Specific Opportunity Windows Before the 16 Sept 2025 Deadline

1. Information Session (14 May 2025): Early attendance allows fine-tuning of concept notes in line with Commission expectations.

2. Topic Sequencing: Combine Topic 05 (Children) with Topic 02 (Health) to create cross-thematic proposals—scoring bonus on relevance & impact.

3. Q&A Publication: Monitoring the public Q&A forum helps align with evaluators’ interpretation of eligibility and budgetary rules.

4. Synergy Mapping: Engage Managing Authorities of ESF+ by June 2025 to draft Letters of Support boosting the ‘EU added-value’ criterion.

5. Pilot Sites Selection: Prioritise border hotspots scheduled to receive new screening facilities under the Pact to ensure high replicability potential.

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Bottom Line

Applying to this call at EU scale multiplies policy influence, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability compared with stand-alone national actions. It positions beneficiaries as frontrunners in setting Union-wide standards for the protection of children in migration while leveraging a unique constellation of complementary EU funds, data assets and political momentum.