On 6 April 2016 eu-LISA hosted a
meeting in its Tallinn headquarters with the Heads of Diplomatic Missions in
Estonia. The aim of the meeting was to share information and exchange
views on the ongoing activities of the Agency and its contribution to the
implementation of policies in the area of freedom, security and justice, in
particular during this period of heightened challenges in the fields of security
and irregular migration. The recent and future projects on the capacity
and functionalities of the Schengen Information System, Visa Information System
and Eurodac were highlighted, focusing on the added value that technologies
provide to national authorities in charge of managing policies on asylum,
migration, border management and combating crime. The ever-increasing use of the systems
by the Member States was illustrated with relevant figures accessible in eu-LISA
reports.
Further to this, EU activities towards
ensuring interoperability of IT systems through interconnectivity, shared
functionalities, a single access to various systems or a common repository of
data were highlighted and references made to the new Commission
communication on Stronger and Smarter Information Systems for Border and
Security. In addition, the participants were informed about the new Commission
proposal for a Regulation establishing the Entry/Exit System (EES) in which
eu-LISA would take the lead in terms of implementation after the adoption of
the legal framework. The added value of mobile technologies and analytics as
areas where the Agency can contribute to developments at EU level were also
outlined.
The
event was the second meeting of eu-LISA with the Heads of Diplomatic Missions
and the Agency plans to hold such meetings on an annual basis in order to share
information, feedback and ideas with the diplomatic corps in Estonia.
