Bulgaria and Cyprus receive funding to upgrade external sea borders

Bulgaria and Cyprus will soon benefit from 50 EUR million in funding to upgrade their sea border management instruments. Bulgaria will receive EUR 20 million for the upgrade of the Integrated Surveillance system “Blue border” with new radar devices, thermovision and daylight long range cameras. EUR 30 million will be allocated to Cyprus to strengthen the capabilities of their radar surveillance system. 

These upgrades funded by the EU will strengthen the capabilities of the European Border Surveillance system (EUROSUR). EUROSUR is a framework for information exchange and cooperation between EU countries and Frontex to improve situational awareness and increase reaction capability at the external borders. EUROSUR supports the prevention of cross-border crime, irregular migration and the protection of migrants’ lives. 

More information on the Border Management and Visa Instrument  

The funding has been awarded in the context of a call for the Specific Action “Electronic surveillance systems at the external sea border (sea border e-surveillance)” that the Commission launched in May 2024. The call is funded by the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) which is part of the Integrated Border Management Fund (IBMF). 

The Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) is part of the Integrated Border Management Fund (IBMF), together with the Custom Control Equipment Instrument (CCEI). 

IBMF is set up for the period 2021-2027 with a total of EUR 7.37 billion. The current allocation reserved to BMVI corresponds to EUR 6.7 billion for the same period.