Background information

On 8 December 2022, the European Commission approved (Decision C(2022) 9332 final) Portugal's programme to receive support from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) for the period between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2027, thus succeeding the AMIF from the previous funding period (2014-2020), whose implementation deadline was extended until the end of 2023. The first reprogramming of the Programme was approved on 23 October 2023 by Decision C(2023)7348.

The AMIF's final recipients of support are third-country nationals (TCN). Professionals and volunteers working with TCN and the host society may receive support from the Fund in specific cases.

At the cutoff date for this mid-term evaluation (31 December 2023), eight calls for applications had been launched and closed, with only one open. In addition, Deliberation 01/2024/PL of the Portugal 2030 CIC (Interministerial Coordination Committee), which approved the Annual Call Plan for 2024, provided that 11 more Calls would be launched from January to December, covering all the specific objectives.

Note: The content of this case is composed of extracts from the AMIF (FAMI) mid-term evaluation report executive summary (Caetano & Carvalho, coord. 2024).

Content of measure

The mid-term evaluation of the FAMI 2030 Programme covers the period between the start of the programming cycle and 31 December 2023. The evaluation exercise aims to improve the programme's design and implementation quality by identifying and proposing solutions to potential problems. The contributions and recommendations will also inform the political cycle and lay the foundations for the ex-post evaluation at the end of the programme period.

The evaluation considers the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and added value for the EU, which is broken down into 13 evaluation questions, covering aspects such as the progress made in achieving the planned objectives, the efficiency of the management and control measures adopted and the continued relevance and appropriateness, the coordination, coherence and complementarity of the actions supported by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and other EU funds, and the EU added value of the actions implemented under the Fund.

Eight recommendations for the period 2021-2027:

• R01. Reinforce the programme's endowment and the number of human resources allocated to ensure that it continues to respond effectively to the evolving dynamics of the problems and needs observed in migration and asylum.
• R02. Deepen multilevel strategic reflection within the programme's ecosystem of actors in order to promote greater flexibility and adapt to the changing dynamics of problems and needs.
• R03. Continue to integrate and promote horizontal principles at all levels of the programme as a guarantee of FAMI 2030's compliance with EU regulations and standards, but also to ensure the effective integration of migrants and asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection into Portuguese society.
• R04. Prioritisation of the implementation of the FAMI 2030 Communication Plan.
• R05. Improve the FAMI 2030 monitoring system by expanding the battery of indicators and anticipating the need for information required to evaluate the Programme's impact outside the fund management sphere.
• R06. Consolidate measures to simplify and promote operational efficiency in the implementation of the programme, both from the point of view of the managing authority (MA) and the beneficiaries.
• R07. Rebalance the Local Migrant Integration Support Centers' framework in the programme according to its role in national public policy.
• R08. Redefine and deepen networking and consolidate proximity and bilateral working relationships between MA, and other key partners, to streamline procedures, define and implement potential complementarities in responding to common challenges.

Use of measure

There is no information available on the use of this mid-term evaluation.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Migrants or refugees in employment	Does not apply to businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Company / Companies	European Funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement as case not in social partner domain	No involvement as case not in social partner domain
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

Social partners were not involved.

Views and reactions

The views of social partners are not known.

Sources

• 12 April 2024: Mid-Term Evaluation of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF 2030) (www.fami2030.gov.pt)