Digital technologies are driving progress and impact the ways that people meet, socialise, and work. Technologies are fundamental to the modern world by facilitating easier and quicker information exchange, enabling mobility and flexibility and supporting smoother processes without prompt. A worldwide digital transformation is well and truly underway.
The extent to which modern technology can effect positive change is also evident in the field of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA). Law enforcement, border control and migration management increasingly rely upon modern technological tools to be effective. eu-LISA, the EU Agency responsible for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the JHA domain, is an important stakeholder in this digital transformation. The IT systems that it manages are key enablers for the community, allowing efficient information exchange and provision of accurate and reliable data to those on the operational front line. The Schengen Information System (SIS II), one of these systems, contains almost 75 million alerts that help law enforcement authorities identify people and objects of interest and take immediate action to safeguard citizens' security. The Visa Information System (VIS) enables secure and efficient processing of visa applications and effective border checks. It holds applications from some 48 million travellers to Europe. By managing these systems and cooperating with EU Member States and other system stakeholders, the Agency plays a vital role in supporting, through technology, efforts towards a fully safe and secure Europe.
On 17 and 18 October, eu-LISA will host its annual conference,
Going Digital for a Safe and Secure Europe, in Tallinn. Some 180 attendees are awaited, representing EU and national authorities, practitioners, industry and academia. Keynote speakers include Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Andres Anvelt, Estonian Minister of the Interior and Krum Garkov, Executive Director of eu-LISA. Experts from EU Agencies Europol, EASO, Frontex and FRA, as well as from the public and private sectors hailing from around a dozen countries worldwide come to Tallinn to share their knowledge and experiences.
"A safe and secure Europe is a priority for the Estonian Presidency of the EU Council and for our Agency. That is why we chose the topic of this year's conference to reflect these shared values and to examine how going digital can enhance Europe's internal security. As practitioners we will focus on the hands-on aspects of digital solutions that affect law enforcement, border and asylum authorities, interoperability of IT systems and the use of mobile technologies to deliver security," said eu-LISA Executive Director, Krum Garkov.
The Estonian Minister of the Interior Andres Anvelt emphasised that the Estonian EU Council Presidency seeks to put the various information systems to the maximum service for keeping the European Union a more safe and secured place. "We will continue our work to make existing and future information systems in EU exchange data smoothly by 2020. Estonia is a good example of how interoperability on a national and international level has strengthened our law enforcement to be more efficient and has reduced the level of crime. Europe's internal security needs to take the same route, because European Union residents deserve the best possible protection," said minister Anvelt.
Online web-streaming will be provided during the conference on
http://eulisaconference.eu and a twitter-wall will be available to enable interactive participation from all locations.
Further Readings:
Interactive Page
Press Release (PDF):
DE,
EE,
EN and
FR
Background:
The full names of the EU Agencies are:
European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol)
European Asylum Support Office (EASO)
European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex)
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
Links:
Conference website:
http://eulisaconference.eu
List of conference speakers:
http://www.eulisaconference.eu/speakers
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/euLISAconf
#DigitalWay2017 #eulisaconference #EU2017EE
Contact:
press@eulisa.europa.eu
