2020 marked the 25th anniversary of the entry into operations of the Schengen Information System (SIS).
Today, SIS is the most widely used and largest information sharing system for security and external border
management in Europe. It is the key compensatory measure for the abolition of internal border controls,
offering essential support to internal security across the Schengen area.
SIS is a cornerstone of the Schengen acquis, facilitating the free movement of people in the Schengen area,
supporting internal checks and border controls at the external borders, ensuring a high level of security and
contributing to law enforcement and judicial cooperation across Europe.
The second generation of SIS has been in operation since 2013. eu-LISA is in charge of the operational
management of the central system and the communication infrastructure, ensuring agile project management
for its timely evolution and 24/7 operational monitoring support. Important milestones in the recent years
included:
- the deployment of the SIS II Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) in March 2018;
- the adoption of the recast Regulations in December 2018;
- in 2020, the implementation of the SIS recast continued, and the Agency provided its support to
Member States to comply with the obligation of enabling SIS-AFIS searches by 28.12.2020;
- for the first time, the disconnection of a Member State was planned and tested.
Read the full report and the factsheet.
