Today, the Council adopted the Commission's proposal to close important security gaps by making EU information systems for security, migration and border management work together in a more intelligent and targeted way. A political priority for 2018-2019, the interoperability measures will ensure that border guards and police officers have access to the right information whenever and wherever they need it to perform their duties.
Welcoming the adoption, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “An effective and genuine Security Union is about ensuring that national authorities and EU Agencies can cooperate seamlessly by connecting the dots between our migration, border and security information systems. Today, we are putting in place a critical pillar of this project, giving border guards and police officers the right tools to protect European citizens".
Commissioner for the Security Union Julian King added: “With interoperability today becoming a legal reality, the blind spots that exist in our information systems will soon be eliminated. Those working in the frontline to keep EU citizens safe, police officers and border guards, will have efficient access to the information they need, when they need it. And criminals will no longer be able to easily slip through the net.”
Today's adoption marks the final step in the legislative procedure. The text of the Regulation will now be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force 20 days later.
eu-LISA, the EU Agency responsible for the operational management of large-scale information systems in the area of freedom, security and justice will then begin the technical work of implementing the interoperability measures. This work is expected to be complete by 2023.
The Commission also stands ready to assist Member States in implementing the Regulation.
