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The Internal Security Fund (ISF) was set up for the period 2014-20, with a total of EUR 3.8 billion for the seven years. The Fund will promote the implementation of the Internal Security Strategy, law enforcement cooperation and the management of the Union's external borders. The ISF is composed of two instruments, ISF Borders and Visa and ISF Police.

Achieving the key objectives

The ISF Police component of the Internal Security Fund will contribute to ensuring a high level of security in the EU. Within this general objective, the Funds' activities will focus on achieving two specific objectives:

• Fight against crime: combating cross-border, serious and organised crime including terrorism, and reinforcing coordination and cooperation between law enforcement authorities and other national authorities of EU States, including with EUROPOL and other relevant EU bodies, and with relevant non-EU and international organisations;
• Managing risk and crisis: enhancing the capacity of EU States and the Union for managing effectively security-related risk and crisis, and preparing for protecting people and critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks and other security related incidents.

For the 2014-20 period, slightly over EUR 1 billion is available for funding actions under the ISF Police instrument, of which EUR 662 million will be channeled through shared management and EUR 342 million through direct management.

Concrete actions to be funded through this instrument can include a wide range of initiatives, such as setting up and running IT systems, acquisition of operational equipment, promoting and developing training schemes and ensuring administrative and operational coordination and cooperation.

The Fund's beneficiaries

All EU States except Denmark and the United Kingdom participate in the implementation of the ISF Police. Examples of beneficiaries of the programmes implemented under this Fund can be state and federal authorities, local public bodies, non-governmental organisations and private and public law companies.

General implementation mechanisms of the ISF Police

National Programmes: the ISP Police fund is mainly implemented by EU participating countries through shared management. Each country implements the fund through national annual programmes on the basis of multiannual programming.

Union Actions : part of the ISF Police fund is managed by the Commission (direct and indirect management) through Union Actions, which include Calls for Proposals, procurement, direct awards, delegation agreements.  For these actions the Commission approves Annual Work Programmes that define the priorities and objectives for each year, including the priorities for the Calls for Proposals.