The European Commission's April 2016 Communication Stronger and Smarter Information Systems for Borders and Security established a framework for the strengthened use of existing IT systems for border management, migration and internal security, development of new systems to fill identified gaps and implementation of systems interoperability as a means to drive technical efficiency and operational effectiveness. It also established the High Level Expert Group on Information Systems and Interoperability, comprising experts from Member States, EU Agencies and other EU bodies, to, inter alia, develop an overall strategic vision on interoperability and interconnection of information systems and recommend concrete follow-up actions. The group concluded its work in April 2017, with the main outcomes to be made available in the group's final report.
The interim report from the chair of the group highlights a need for future concrete work on a European Search Portal (ESP) and a shared Biometric Matching Service. eu-LISA, as the management authority for the principal three large-scale IT systems to be linked by the ESP and the biometric matching platforms currently servicing these systems, will be heavily engaged in this work. Indeed, on foot of the mandate provided by the chair in his report, concrete actions have already been initiated by the Agency that relate to systems interoperability.
In order to stimulate innovative thinking and exchange information on the merits of various implementation possibilities and to learn more about the current state of evolution of relevant technologies, the Agency wishes to convene experts from industry to discuss and debate future concrete efforts related to interoperability in the European Justice and Home Affairs domain.
Organisation and context
eu-LISA intends to organise a roundtable meeting "Interoperability in the JHA domain: Moving forward with concrete implementation" on June 8th in Strasbourg, France. The current state of affairs in terms of planning for interoperability at the EU level and some expectations regarding possible benefits for system end users will be introduced. Industry representatives will have opportunities to propose ideas for possible approaches to implementing different interoperability concepts and to update on methods and solutions or relevance. Discussions will be open to all attendees and no bilateral meetings will be organised. The aim is to assemble and share thoughts; under no circumstances should the event be considered as a prelude or an advantage to eventual procurement exercises. The focus will be on recent and near-future developments and only public information will be shared with participants.
Format
The event will run between 08.30 and 15.00 on June 8th. EU bodies will provide introductory information in session one, describing expectations for new developments and noting challenges that may lie ahead. In the second session, industry will have the opportunity to respond during presentations and open group discussion. Further information is available in the draft agenda.
Participation and Logistics
eu-LISA would like to call on vendors and industry representatives active in the domains of information technology and/or biometric systems to express their interest in attending the event. Attendees may have the opportunity to present relevant information in session 2 and should indicate a willingness to do so in their submission. eu-LISA will select presenters from those submitted based on the relevance of the topics proposed and the expertise of the proposing companies. Capacity is limited and eu-LISA reserves the right to select attendees based on their areas of expertise and knowledge and their likely relevance to the proposed discussions. The Agency will not be in a position to cover any costs associated with attendance at the event.
Please express your interest to eu-LISA by completing the online registration form.
For further information on the meeting, please contact: eulisa.workshop@newstravel.eu
References
Commission communication: Stronger and Smarter Information Systems for Borders and Security
High Level Expert Group on Information Systems and Interoperability: Meeting minutes and group reports
