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Agnès Diallo takes office as Executive Director of eu-LISAhttps://www.eulisa.europa.eu/Newsroom/PressRelease/Pages/Agnès-Diallo-takes-office-as-Executive-Director-of-eu-LISA.aspxAgnès Diallo takes office as Executive Director of eu-LISA15/03/2023 22:00:00<p style="text-align:justify;">Today, 16<sup>th</sup> March 2023, <strong>Agnès Diallo</strong>, the new Executive Director of eu-LISA takes office. Ms Diallo was appointed by the Agency's Management Board in its decision of January 12<sup>th</sup> 2023.<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;"> <img src="/Newsroom/PressRelease/PublishingImages/20230316.jpg" alt="Agnès Diallo" style="float:left;margin:5px 25px 5px 5px;height:340px;" />"<em>I am honored and thrilled to begin my journey with eu-LISA. The Agency's role is crucial to improve freedom, security and justice within the Union through better and more resilient information systems, that serve the needs of citizens in a safe and attractive Europe.</em></p><p style="text-align:justify;"> <em>I feel privileged to be joining the professional eu-LISA teams and very much look forward to working closely with them. I am particularly enthused by our road together towards building eu-LISA's next chapter, tackling current challenges and leveraging the many exciting opportunities ahead.</em></p><p style="text-align:justify;"> <em>I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the Deputy Executive Director, Luca Tagliaretti, for his work as Interim Executive Director over the past months, and to the entire management team for supporting him through this period.</em></p><p style="text-align:justify;"> <em>I am confident that together, as one eu-LISA, we will continue to successfully raise the bar, building upon eu-LISA's amazing track record, to ever better achieve the Agency's missions" </em>said Agnès Diallo, Executive Director of eu-LISA.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Ms Diallo has over 20 years of experience, supporting government level institutions and private sector organisations in France and across Europe on their most pressing operational and technological challenges. A seasoned large-scale IT systems professional with a proven track record, she has led the development and management of numerous reference European IT systems, fully compliant with GDPR and cyber-security imperatives.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">From 2019, as an Executive Vice-President and a member of the Executive Committee at IN Groupe, a European leader in digital identity solutions, she was responsible for Business Performance and Strategy. Prior to that, she was General Manager for Digital Services. She has also held a number of senior management positions with global IT company ATOS and was an Associate Principal with McKinsey & Company for many years. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Ms Diallo holds a degree in Political Science from the <em>Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris,</em> a master's degree in Business Administration from Essec Business School and a master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> <strong> </strong></p><h2>eu-LISA's governance structure</h2><p style="text-align:justify;">eu-LISA's governance structure comprises a Management Board, an Executive Director and Advisory Groups. The Management Board is composed of representatives of EU Member States, Schengen Associated Countries and the European Commission. Eurojust, Europol, Frontex and the EPPO are also represented on the board. The role of the Management Board is to ensure that the Agency delivers tasks and results as stipulated in the Agency's establishing regulation in the most cost-effective way, taking into account the strategic goals and objectives of the Agency. The Advisory Groups are composed of experts from EU Member States, Schengen Associated Countries, the European Commission and other EU Institutions. Their role is to provide their respective Programme Management Board (PMB), and the eu-LISA Management Board, with technical expertise and advice regarding the evolution and further development of eu-LISA's large-scale IT systems.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">eu-LISA currently employs 325 staff, who are divided into departments, units and sectors, mainly working out of the headquarters in Tallinn and the operational site in Strasbourg.</p><p> <br> </p><h2>Background </h2><p style="text-align:justify;">The European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (<a href="/">eu-LISA</a>) was established in 2011 in order to provide a long-term solution for the EU internal security and to support the implementation of asylum, migration and border management policies. The Agency's revised establishing Regulation entered into force on 11 December 2018, expanding eu-LISA's mandate to further improve, design and develop information systems in the area of internal security, border management and judicial cooperation. The revised mandate also broadened the Agency's scope of work on research, innovation, testing, enabling the possibility to support the delivery of pilot projects and proofs of concept.<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">Currently, eu-LISA manages the Schengen Information System (<a href="/_layouts/15/FIXUPREDIRECT.ASPX?WebId=d983433c-0865-4de1-a0ae-1df1a0b7e4c0&TermSetId=8b33697b-07fc-4f3b-b28b-4f6a7829532a&TermId=0c24cba7-423a-422d-b919-24d1150c6e1e">SIS</a>), the Visa Information System (<a href="/_layouts/15/FIXUPREDIRECT.ASPX?WebId=d983433c-0865-4de1-a0ae-1df1a0b7e4c0&TermSetId=8b33697b-07fc-4f3b-b28b-4f6a7829532a&TermId=ae5f72bb-f65e-43ba-a286-309a3d763850">VIS</a>) and the European Asylum Dactyloscopy Database (<a href="/_layouts/15/FIXUPREDIRECT.ASPX?WebId=d983433c-0865-4de1-a0ae-1df1a0b7e4c0&TermSetId=8b33697b-07fc-4f3b-b28b-4f6a7829532a&TermId=c4f2f182-b3fb-4c5d-b569-0275e6a04efd">Eurodac</a>). These systems are the cornerstones of the smooth functioning of the Schengen Area. At the EU's external borders, they are critical for ensuring the efficiency of border management, and the implementation of the EU's common asylum, migration and visa policies. Within the Schengen Area, ensuring continuous availability of the EU's JHA information systems is essential for guaranteeing the freedom of movement of EU citizens and residents, while also supporting internal security across the Union. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Under its expanded mandate, eu-LISA is also developing the Entry/Exit System (<a href="/_layouts/15/FIXUPREDIRECT.ASPX?WebId=d983433c-0865-4de1-a0ae-1df1a0b7e4c0&TermSetId=8b33697b-07fc-4f3b-b28b-4f6a7829532a&TermId=56003343-9125-4827-8e02-afb4c3c159f4">EES</a>), the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (<a href="/_layouts/15/FIXUPREDIRECT.ASPX?WebId=d983433c-0865-4de1-a0ae-1df1a0b7e4c0&TermSetId=8b33697b-07fc-4f3b-b28b-4f6a7829532a&TermId=75f9f384-e09f-4ec7-8b4f-4603886aaa27">ETIAS</a>), the centralised system for the identification of Member States holding conviction information on third-country nationals and stateless persons (<a href="/_layouts/15/FIXUPREDIRECT.ASPX?WebId=d983433c-0865-4de1-a0ae-1df1a0b7e4c0&TermSetId=8b33697b-07fc-4f3b-b28b-4f6a7829532a&TermId=20357fff-ac72-4cbc-b2e2-0967c1104544">ECRIS-TCN</a>), and new components that will make up the <a href="/_layouts/15/FIXUPREDIRECT.ASPX?WebId=d983433c-0865-4de1-a0ae-1df1a0b7e4c0&TermSetId=8b33697b-07fc-4f3b-b28b-4f6a7829532a&TermId=2765a765-3305-4890-b34a-ef51a1397d41">interoperability</a> architecture of the JHA information systems under eu-LISA's purview. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">The latest addition to eu-LISA portfolio, <a href="/_layouts/15/FIXUPREDIRECT.ASPX?WebId=d983433c-0865-4de1-a0ae-1df1a0b7e4c0&TermSetId=8b33697b-07fc-4f3b-b28b-4f6a7829532a&TermId=13c761d1-2357-4607-8793-c116d33c387b">e-CODEX</a>, is a decentralised IT system that provides a secure solution for cross-border exchange of judiciary data, thus allowing all Member States to use a single interface to communicate with each other. Once fully integrated into the Agency's portfolio, e-CODEX will be a key building block in the further digitalisation of the justice domain.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The headquarters of eu-LISA are located in Tallinn, Estonia, whilst its operational centre is in Strasbourg, France. There is also a technical business continuity site based in Sankt Johann im Pongau, Austria and a Liaison Office in Brussels, Belgium.<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">This Press Release is also available in <a href="/Newsroom/PressRelease/Documents/eu-LISA_ED_Press%20Release_ET.pdf">Estonian</a>, <a href="/Newsroom/PressRelease/Documents/eu-LISA_ED_Press%20Release_FR.pdf">French</a> and <a href="/Newsroom/PressRelease/Documents/eu-LISA_ED_%20Press%20Release_DE.pdf">German</a>.<br></p><br>
The Enhanced SIS in a Nutshellhttps://www.eulisa.europa.eu/Newsroom/News/Pages/Enhanced-SIS-Informational-Leaflet.aspxThe Enhanced SIS in a Nutshell09/03/2023 10:00:00<p>The Schengen Information System (SIS), Europe's largest IT system for internal security and border management, received a set of <a href="/Newsroom/News/Pages/Enhanced-SIS-launched-today.aspx">major upgrades</a> in March 2023.<br></p><p>SIS users, namely 30 countries in Europe, now have access to a new set of functionalities and search capabilities which assist national border guards, police, customs authorities and immigration authorities with identifying among other, wanted or missing persons, stolen goods.</p><div> <br> </div><div style="background:#008641;color:#ffffff;padding:1.5em 2em;width:80%;margin:1.5em auto;border-radius:10px;"><h2 style="color:#ffffff;">Did You Know...?<br></h2><ul><em> <li>SIS stores information as alerts, and EU Member State authorities query the system to see if they get a hit<br></li> <li>eu-LISA took over the operational management of SIS in 2013<br></li> <li>There are on average 20 million daily searches in SIS<br></li> </em></ul></div><div> <br> </div><p style="text-align:center;">Read <strong>10 key facts</strong> about the large-scale IT system and its <strong>timeline </strong>in the dedicated <a href="/Publications/Information%20Material/Enhanced%20SIS%20Leaflet.pdf" target="_blank">SIS leaflet</a>.<br></p><p> <br> </p><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="/Publications/Information%20Material/Enhanced%20SIS%20Leaflet.pdf" target="_blank"><img src="/Publications/PublishingImages/enhanced_sis_facts.jpg" alt="" style="max-width:50%;border:1px solid #dcddde;" /></a></p><br>
Happy International Women’s Day!https://www.eulisa.europa.eu/Newsroom/News/Pages/Happy-International-Women’s-Day!.aspxHappy International Women’s Day!08/03/2023 12:00:00<p>Technology is an essential part of our everyday lives and in eu-LISA, technology <em>is</em> our life. To ensure that the technical solutions we create address all the issues and concerns that brought their need, we require equally smart women and men to develop them. Maintaining gender proportionality in the Agency is just as important to us as keeping our IT systems up and running.</p><p>We are pleased to see that the gender balance in our Agency is improving year on year, with a steady increase in the number of female colleagues. Today, eu-LISA employs a total of 104 female professionals, with an average age of 42, representing 32% of the total staff distributed between the Agency's headquarters in Tallinn, where around 49% of the staff is female, and our operational site in Strasbourg, where 24% of the staff is female. </p><p>From the operational management of essential IT systems to Finance, from Logistics to Data Protection and from HR to policy making, at eu-LISA we have women in key positions across all business areas. In addition to our new Executive Director, the main positions held by women in eu-LISA are Head of Unit, Head of Sector, Senior Policy Officer, Data Protection Officer, Senior Liaison Officer and Senior Information Technology Officer. </p><p>eu-LISA is committed to attracting Europe's best talent in our recruitment processes and to diversifying our workforce. The Agency attends job fairs, both online and offline, to attract women to careers in IT. We do our best to hire and retain the best, making Europe a safer place to work and live in.</p><p>We believe that working in an EU institution is both rich in exciting and meaningful challenges and, at the same time, provides a safe environment in which to fulfil one's potential. Equal treatment of staff in the performance of their daily work, in the provision of new and exciting challenges and in their remuneration, is a rule we firmly uphold.</p><p>We would like to thank all our female colleagues and cooperation partners for the drive and dedication they bring to our work and the efforts they make to keep the digital heart of Schengen beating strong. </p><p> <em>Happy International Women's Day!</em><br></p><p> <br> </p><p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://eulisa.europa.eu/Newsroom/News/PublishingImages/20230308.png" alt="" style="max-width:85%;" /></p><br>
Enhanced SIS Successfully Launchedhttps://www.eulisa.europa.eu/Newsroom/News/Pages/Enhanced-SIS-launched-today.aspxEnhanced SIS Successfully Launched07/03/2023 22:00:00<p>​Major upgrades to the Schengen Information System (SIS) were made available yesterday, March 7<sup>th</sup> 2023, to all the EU Member States and Associated Countries that use the system in their daily efforts to ensure the world's largest visa-free area is safe and secure. The 30 countries connected to Europe's largest IT system for internal security and border management now have access to a new set of functionalities and search capabilities which provide their authorised users with multiple ways to identify, amongst others, missing people and stolen goods or property.<br></p><p>SIS now allows its users to enter alerts about children at risk of abduction and vulnerable persons considered to be at risk. These data entries can be searched and cross-referenced by border authorities and thus help prevent minors from being taken unlawfully abroad. </p><p>A further extension to SIS is the addition of return decisions, associated to non-EU nationals identified as no longer having the right to be in the Schengen Area. Through the use of these, border and law enforcement authorities are facilitated in managing irregular migration.</p><p>The possibility of using biometric data to search SIS has also been expanded. The use of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) was first integrated into SIS by eu-LISA in 2018. As its name suggests, AFIS allows searches to be performed solely using fingerprints. Today, competent authorities can also attempt to match partial prints and palmprints.<br></p><p>Enhanced collaboration, cooperation and information sharing is now possible throughout Europe thanks to the broadened user base of SIS. Teams belonging to the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation as well as the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) can now access data in SIS as can additional competent Member State national authorities. The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) is now in a position to exchange information with Member States on alerts concerning terrorist offences.<br></p><p>When asked about SIS and yesterday's successful launch, <strong>Mr Stephan Brandes</strong>, eu-LISA's Head of the Operations Department said "<em>Created in 1995 to assist law enforcement authorities across Europe to collaborate in the newly formed Schengen Area, SIS was officially entrusted to eu-LISA in 2013. Through the years that followed, eu-LISA extended and expanded the capacity of SIS as well as its functionalities to culminate in the latest release that we have just launched. Many experts and professionals at eu-LISA, at the European Commission and across all the Member States, have dedicated their time and efforts to reaching the point we are at now. We are all very proud of the fact that our work goes directly into providing European law enforcement authorities with the tools and means to improve their collaboration and ensure that we can go about our daily lives in a safe and secure environment.</em>"<br></p><div><br></div><h2>Further Readings:<br></h2><ul><li><p> <a href="/Publications/Reports/SIS%20II%202022%20Statistics%20-%20Report.pdf" target="_blank">SIS II – Statistical Report 2022</a><br></p></li><li><p> <a href="/Publications/Reports/SIS%20II%202022%20Statistics%20-%20Factsheet.pdf" target="_blank">SIS II – Statistical Report 2022 – Factsheet</a><br></p></li><li><p> <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_1505" target="_blank">European Commission Press Release</a></p></li><li><p> <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:C:2023:085:TOC" target="_blank">Official Journal of the European Union – List of SIS and SIRENE Authorities</a><br></p></li><li><a href="https://eulisa.europa.eu/Newsroom/News/Pages/Enhanced-SIS-Informational-Leaflet.aspx" target="_blank">Enhanced SIS Leaflet</a></li></ul><p> <br> </p><br>