EC-proposes-eu-LISA-be-entrusted-with-extended-tasks
30 Jun 2017 10:37 AM
The EC has issued its communication on the its proposal to further broaden & enhance the role of eu-LISA in its management of existing information systems as well as of new systems to ensure that its mandate meets the current challenges in the area of migration and security on the European level.
Europe faces a dual challenge today: to stay open whilst staying secure. To develop an adequate response to this the EU needs to utilize the capabilities of modern IT technologies parallel to using these to reinforce and enhance information exchange and collaboration between Member States.
An adequate response of this challenge also requires eu-LISA to undertake new tasks. The ongoing digital transformation in the EU justice and home affairs domain has highlighted the need to further increase the added value of eu-LISA to the benefit of Member States and the EU as a whole. The EC proposal for a revised mandate takes into account the needs deriving from this transformation as well as the ability of the Agency to address them.
A stronger mandate to enable interoperability
"Four years after taking over its initial tasks the Agency has proven itself to be a reliable, competent and capable contributor to the Member States and the EU. It is able to take on new tasks in order to strengthen internal security as well as border and migration management in Europe. The Commission proposal to revise the mandate of eu-LISA is proof of that and I am confident that eu-LISA will be successful in implementing its new mandate and addressing the challenges ahead." said Krum GARKOV, the Executive Director of eu-LISA.
eu-LISA has demonstrated that by consolidating the operational management of large-scale IT systems in a single EU Agency significant efficiency gains can be achieved. This is attained through consistently pooling the infrastructure and the human expertise which is required for professional IT system management. The highly specialised knowledge of the Agency's staff is applied across all the entrusted IT systems, assuring their security, the protection of the data stored in them whilst enabling rapid evolution of systems in line with changes occurring in the information technology field. A stronger mandate would allow eu-LISA to perform necessary actions and develop technical solutions that facilitate the interoperability of the systems. The reform of the mandate will provide eu-LISA with the rights and responsibilities to develop and manage future large-scale EU information systems, which are necessary to efficiently support law enforcement cooperation as well as border and migration management efforts of the EU. eu-LISA will have an instrumental role in the development and handling of the new systems, currently under discussion by the co-legislators: the Entry/Exit System (EES) for modernised external border management and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) to gather advance information on visa-free travellers in the EU. The EC proposal also foresees further upgrades to the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), to improve the exchange of information between Member States on convicted non-EU citizens. The centralised ECRIS system would also be part of the IT systems developed and managed by eu-LISA. The capability of the Agency to not only administer large-scale IT systems but also provide advice and assistance to Member States on technical issues related to the existing or new IT systems, is a solid basis for the EC proposal to extend the mandate of the Agency. eu-LISA will have an enhanced role for the production of statistics related to the systems it operates as well as an extended scope of mandate with regard to pilot projects and research. It will help to improve the quality of the systems' data by establishing automated data quality control mechanisms.
Background:
European Commission Press Release (EN, ET, FR)
Contacts: