A delegation of 10 MEPs from the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), and their respective secretariat, visited eu-LISA's Operational site in Strasbourg, France on 11/02/2020.
After being welcomed to the site by the Agency's Executive Director, Krum Garkov, the delegation were given a guided tour of the operator/server rooms and the helpdesk. Mr Garkov explained, "What you see here might seem very technical, but eu-LISA is not just a technical Agency. eu-LISA is the engine of Schengen".
The visit continued with presentations in the main meeting room during which both parties shared their views on a variety of subjects. MEP Caterina Chinnici, LIBE, recognised the high importance of eu-LISA's work as it allows for free movement, which is becoming growingly important. "It is crucial for MEPS to know the work of the Agency and see it first-hand so that we can support you", she said.
Topics covered in the presentations included, amongst others:
- The state of play in the evolution of Eurodac, SIS and VIS as well as the ongoing development of EES, ETIAS, ECRIS-TCN and Interoperability
- eu-LISA's reporting and statistics products as well as data quality and protection safeguards within the systems.
- The Agency's role in the new Migration Pact and in the Security Union
The tour and subsequent discussions proved very fruitful and boosted eu-LISA's constructive relations with the LIBE Committee. Building strong connections with key partners and stakeholders is of utmost importance to the Agency and paramount in successfully delivering Europe's new Justice and Home Affairs IT architecture on time.
