How does the FAMI work, and what opportunities does it offer? We find out from Ferdinando Santoriello, Coordinator of the Managing Authority
Migration: A Megatrend That Affects Everyone
About a year ago, we published an in-depth article on megatrends—that is, the major global trends and the key “driving forces” that will have the greatest impact on our future.
One of these megatrends is the growing social and political significance of migration and the increasing complexity of migration dynamics. The number of migrants worldwide has doubled in 30 years, driven by the effects of international instability, conflicts, inequalities, poverty, demographic and economic dynamics, and climate change. Migration—a phenomenon linked to all other global megatrends—is at the center of political debate in Italy, Europe, and the rest of the world.In a way, migration is a phenomenon that affects everyone: both because people of foreign origin play an important role in our country’s economic and social processes, and because Italy itself is a nation of migrants. Citing the most recent analysis by ISTAT, “Italy remains a country where a very positive migration dynamic manages to offset a largely negative natural population change and where the population continues to age.” At the same time, AIRE data show that more than 6 million Italian citizens reside abroad—that is, more than one in 10 Italian citizens.
The AMIF: A Tool for Creating Opportunities
Italy—and Europe as a whole—is therefore, in both senses, at the center of global migration dynamics. Stories of migration have always been stories of sacrifice. In many cases, they are stories of suffering and denied rights: the very rights that constitute the DNA and founding values of the European Union.
For all these reasons, for more than 10 years the European Union has been addressing the issue of migration through a dedicated fund, the AMIF (Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund), which is managed in various ways: directly (AMIF calls for proposals managed centrally by the European Commission), indirectly (delegated to international or national organizations), and jointly, that is, (in the case of Italy) through the National AMIF Program, managed by the Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration, part of the Central Directorate for Migration Policies of the Ministry of the Interior. Most of the funds are managed under the shared management model, that is, at the national level.
We have already discussed the AMIF in connection with the Specially Unknown project, which was made possible thanks to AMIF funding. From this story (to which we also dedicated a podcast), we drew the conclusion that the Fund, and the projects it supports, are tools capable of creating opportunities for those—such as migrants around the world—who are seeking them.
We spoke with Deputy Prefect Ferdinando Santoriello, Coordinator of the AMIF Managing Authority: an opportunity to learn more about the activities of a Managing Authority for European funds and the partnership opportunities offered by the AMIF.
Migration is one of the major challenges of our time. How does the AMIF help address this challenge?
First of all, let me say that I’m very pleased to be here for this interview. In the media and in public discourse, there’s a lot of talk about migration—and in many different ways—but we rarely hear about the AMIF, which is the largest sectoral fund in Italy. This fund is complemented by other initiatives managed directly at the European level. It is a fund that has effectively utilized its resources and has recently increased its budget in response to the new European Pact on Migration.
To give you some figures, the AMIF originally had a budget of 800–900 million euros. In December, a new version of the AMIF National Program was approved, bringing the Fund’s total to over 1.5 billion euros, half of which comes from national sources and half from the EU. 95% of the funds had already been committed, and we are now working to make the best use of the new allocation as well.
The needs are clearly enormous, but the AMIF National Program is doing its part to address them. The AMIF has a very specific focus: regular migration and the protection of asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, and vulnerable individuals. It addresses that aspect of the migration situation that is perhaps less visible but most in need of support.
Our primary objective, which accounts for more than 50% of the AMIF’s activities and resources, focuses on asylum and addresses the effectiveness of procedures for granting international protection, the reception of unaccompanied foreign minors, and the provision of health, social, and economic support to refugees.
Our second objective, which accounts for about 30% of our efforts, is dedicated to the integration of legal migrants and includes language training, educational inclusion, social and labor market inclusion, as well as the improvement of public services for foreigners.
We also support repatriation measures, aimed at ensuring safe and dignified new opportunities in the country of origin, as well as solidarity measures designed to improve legal channels for entry and reception for people in need of international protection.
Even with the Fund’s substantial resources, these are enormous challenges. What exactly does your work entail, and what changes with the new European Pact on Immigration?
The areas in which the AMIF is most directly involved are the reception of unaccompanied foreign minors, training (both language and non-language), psychological and health care, housing needs, and integration into the workforce. The AMIF also supports the guidance and assistance of asylum seekers and the agencies responsible for processing their applications by providing interpreters and experts.
The FAMI addresses all the basic needs of asylum seekers. These needs span a wide range of areas, and it is not possible to address them in isolation.
The program’s key role is to focus on capacity building, networking, and creating platforms that can provide focus and coherence to actions that would otherwise lack them. It is to bring together all those “points”—comprising prefectures, agencies, and regional administrations, local authorities, universities, experts, practitioners, and civil society organizations—which, without the support of the AMIF, would struggle to work with the same level of coordination and effectiveness. It also aims to coordinate the efforts of no fewer than six ministries: the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Universities, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health, each within its respective areas of competence.
The new European Pact on Migration and the increase in funding for our Program are certainly giving new momentum to our work. The fact that we had already committed 95% of the funds by the end of last year is an indication of the scale of the needs the Fund must address. We hope this will be taken into account inthe current debate on the new 2028–2034 programming cycle.
In many cases, the new resources will be used to strengthen, expand, and supplement existing initiatives. Under the new Pact, we have committed to expanding the capacity of reception services, improving administrative procedures related to asylum, and strengthening our efforts in the area of language mediation.
Therefore, among the major challenges facing the AMIF, we must also consider the need to establish partnerships, bringing together different sectors and involving all stakeholders.
That’s exactly right. Let’s start with the resources: EU funds are used in a supplementary and complementary capacity. Let me give you an example: within the reception system, targeted services for vulnerable groups—such as unaccompanied foreign minors or individuals with mental or physical health conditions—were not effectively provided. These services were subsequently established thanks to the AMIF. And the new resources allocated to the National AMIF Program have been directed toward addressing needs that would otherwise have gone unmet, prioritizing the quality of services and the protection of the most vulnerable groups. Resource coordination does not stop there. The AMIF’s activities are also supported by the National Fund for Asylum Policies and Services, European funds for social cohesion policy, emergency measures, and the tools provided by the PNRR.
Partnership and coordination are also central to our work. Our operational priorities are, on the one hand, to promote consistency and quality in the provision of services for migrants through common standards: in the monitoring of reception centers, in language training, and in pathways to self-sufficiency upon leaving reception centers. On the other hand, to consolidate, expand, and structure the interventions that have proven most successful: for example, in the area of healthcare for migrants within the reception system and job placement services. We therefore face the difficult task, together with institutions and sector professionals, of defining, developing, and then redefining standards for the reception of migrants.
In fact, the main objective of our new program has been defined as follows: “to strengthen the intervention networks of the migration policy management system by connecting relevant services, improving and standardizing, at the national level, the capacity of public offices to respond to the needs expressed by migrants, and providing for the direct involvement of third-country nationals.”
Because our work also involves this aspect: strengthening channels for listening to and actively involving migrants, so that we can co-design initiatives that put the end recipient at the center. We recognize this as the primary criterion in planning our actions and evaluating our results.
That’s a wonderful idea. Do you have an example of how you were able to bring it to life?
Third-country nationals participate in our working groups and activities. Their role is crucial in practical terms when it comes to reaching out to and informing migrant communities at local organisations, in order to identify those most in need of help and support. Several prefectures (which often serve as lead partners in AMIF projects) are carrying out interesting initiatives in this regard.
For example, the Prefecture of Avellino has created a simple and effective communication tool. The tool primarily includes a QR code, widely distributed, that links to an anonymous questionnaire designed to identify the basic needs of migrants. The tool then offers a series of videos with simple and effective information on the specific needs identified in the questionnaire: how to apply for a “decreto flusso” (temporary residence permit), how to apply for family reunification, how to obtain a work permit, and so on. Each video features a member of the user’s community, addresses them in their own language, and thus tackles the issues that emerge from the questionnaire. This includes very serious and sensitive issues that are difficult to discuss through other channels, such as those faced by women who are victims of trafficking.
How do you collaborate with the nonprofit sector, third-sector organizations, and civil society?
Partnerships and co-design with various sectors of civil society are fundamental to our work. This is particularly true for the most complex and sensitive issues, such as cases of human trafficking, unaccompanied minors, or asylum seekers facing protection concerns, as well as issues related to undocumented work or illegal labor recruitment, or when it comes to facilitating employment or finding housing for asylum seekers, it is precisely the third-sector organizations and local governments that have extensive ties to the local organisations and can assist us.
Many of our projects are primarily aimed at (as lead partners) prefectures and local governments, but they are almost always collaborative projects involving a variety of stakeholders, for which we publish specific calls for proposals. We also directly fund projects for third-sector organizations. Our website features a page dedicated to public notices, one with the notice calendar, one with related news and updates, as well as a portal dedicated to project submission and management, FAMI 2.0, which is also accessible to nonprofit organizations via SPID.
Our collaboration with civil society assigns a leading role to universities, which support all aspects of our work related to language training, in coordination with the Initial Reception Centers. Our collaboration with lawyers and legal experts has allowed us to expedite the citizenship application process. This collaboration gave rise, for example, to Polo Orienta, a call center dedicated to providing informational support to third-country nationals applying for citizenship. Polo Orienta’s work has enabled us to more effectively identify issues in citizenship applications already submitted, prevent them through preliminary screening, and provide back-office support to the relevant offices, significantly helping to speed up the process.
There is also strong collaboration with the for-profit sector: businesses and business associations are interested in promoting legal entry aimed at labor market integration, particularly from countries with a strong tradition in certain manufacturing sectors. This is a promising avenue applicable to various sectors, capable of promoting a positive model of integration.
