eu-LISA's Digital Newsletter
The eu-LISA Bits & Bytes provides an overview of the Agency's recent progress and the state-of-play on the development and management of the large-scale IT systems that govern the Schengen Area's internal security.
In this issue:
… and more.
Large-Scale IT Systems – Evolution and Outlook
eu-LISA's agenda for 2021 revolves around developing three new large-scale IT systems (EES, ETIAS, ECRIS-TCN), managing and updating the existing three systems (Eurodac, SIS, VIS), as well as working on achieving Interoperability between all systems.
For an overview or recap on how these systems help us ensure a safer Europe, go to our dedicated portal: Discover eu-LISA
Systems' Availability
eu-LISA continued to ensure the expected high level of performance and availability for SIS, VIS, Eurodac and their sub-systems during 2021, despite the subsequent waves of the COVID-19 pandemic that swept Europe.
Systems' Development
The implementation of the new Interoperability architecture for border management and internal security in the EU is the most complex and challenging transformation programme that has been launched in the last decades. As the pandemic generated difficulties for both Member States and contractors, the European Council mandated eu-LISA, the European Commission and Member States to develop an alternative timeline for the deployment of the new systems. The Agency has been working intensively, in close collaboration with experts from the Member States, the Commission, as well as eu-LISA's governing bodies, exploring a number of alternative scenarios for the implementation of EES, also taking into consideration the effects on ETIAS' implementation. The approach of the Agency was to keep the ultimate objective of having the new Interoperability architecture implemented by the end of 2023 unchanged.
Proposed Timeline
The alternative implementation scenario should allocate reasonable time for implementation of the planned activities at European and national level and should include all building blocks of the interoperability architecture (EES, ETIAS, Interoperability components, ECRIS-TCN and SIS). The milestones are divided as follows:
EES
Milestones at central level:
- Integration tests
- Compliance tests with the Member States
- Preparations for Entry-into-Operations
Milestones at national level:
- Preparations for the compliance tests
- Start of compliance tests with the national systems and infrastructure in four groups
- Preparations for Entry-into-Operations
Entry-into-Operations: end of September 2022
ETIAS
Milestones at central level:
- Integration tests
- Compliance tests with the Member States
- Preparations for Entry-into-Operations
Milestones at national level:
- Preparations for the compliance tests
- Start of compliance tests with the national systems and infrastructure in four groups
- Preparations for Entry-into-Operations
Entry-into-Operations: mid-May 2023
For technical and operational reasons, the minimum time between Entry-into-Operations of EES and ETIAS should be at least 6 months.
Carrier Registration for EES & ETIAS
Since September 2021, registration for EES and ETIAS is available for air carriers, sea carriers and international carriers transporting groups overland by coach via bit.ly/eu-LISA-Carriers.
The registration enables carriers to receive all information necessary for the preparation of their respective systems and business processes in order to consult the EU IT systems managed by eu-LISA, as the latter is regulated in the EES and ETIAS legislation.
IO Components
Milestones at central level:
- Integration tests
- Compliance tests with the Member States
- Preparations for Entry-into-Operations
Milestones at national level:
- Finalisation of the Interface Control Documents
- Implementation of the national activities related to Interoperability
- Start of compliance tests with the national systems and infrastructure
- Preparations for Entry-into-Operations
IO components to be implemented by the end of 2023
ECRIS-TCN
Milestones at central level:
- Integration tests
- Compliance tests with the Member States
- Preparations for Entry-into-Operations
Milestones at national level:
- Finalisation of the Interface Control Documents
- Implementation of the national activities related to ECRIS-TCN
- Start of compliance tests with the national systems and infrastructure
- Preparations for Entry-into-Operations
Entry-into-Operations: May 2023
Dependencies with
SIS
One of the legal prerequisites for entry-into-operations of ETIAS is its interconnection with SIS, which can be implemented only after the entry-into-operations of the SIS Recast. To ensure a coordinated and smooth transition from SIS II to the new SIS, and considering the revised implementation timeline for ETIAS, the SIS Recast will enter-into-operations no later than end of June 2022.
Dependencies with
VIS
The implementation of the revised VIS Regulation will go beyond the end of 2023 and will have a timeline parallel to the one for the implementation of the Interoperability architecture. To fulfil legal requirements for the entry-into-operations of ETIAS, the current VIS systems needs to be integrated into the Interoperability architecture.
Summary
On 9 December 2021, political consensus was reached as well, when the Justice and Home Affairs Council approved the new timeline for sub-components, while maintaining the original deadline of end-2023 for the deployment of the new Interoperability architecture.
The Commission fully supports the new timeline - it ensures that full interoperability can still be achieved as planned by end-2023, said Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson during the meeting.
There is a high number of tasks that have to be executed in parallel and very limited margin for major setbacks. It also involves a range of risks, but it is important to emphasize that considering the complexity of the work at stake, a risk-free scenario does not exist, highlighted eu-LISA Executive Director Krum Garkov, adding: "Risks are an essential part of the project work and need to be managed pro-actively by all actors involved (...) The time for discussions and deskwork is over. Now we all need to focus our energy and efforts on implementation and to do our utmost to achieve all milestones on the way and the overall objective of having the interoperability architecture in place by the end of 2023."