The European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA) will hold its first conference - "Smart Borders: Faster and Safer Way to Europe" - to elaborate on the European Commission Smart Borders initiative and the related pilot project to be delivered by eu-LISA in 2015. The conference will take place on October 1st in Tallinn, Estonia.
"eu-LISA is happy to host more than 100 experts and practitioners to discuss the innovative and practical means to facilitate more efficient border management and offer better traveller experiences when crossing the EU's external borders. We regard the fact that the EC and EU Member States have entrusted us to carry out the pilot on the Smart Borders initiative as a great responsibility but also an acknowledgement of the Agency's successful performance to date. The pilot aims to test particular elements of the technical solutions for the Entry-Exit System and Registered Traveller Program proposed by the European Commission, and its outcomes will be crucial for further decision-making regarding the actual development of the systems, pending the passing of the relevant legislation", emphasised
eu-LISA Executive Director Mr Krum GARKOV.
Stakeholders, practitioners and experts from 25 European countries will gather at the conference to discuss practical aspects of the implementation of the proposed new systems at both national and European levels. Under the Smart Borders initiative, enhanced use of new technologies for border checks is proposed as a means of addressing the needs of travellers and helping the responsible authorities. Time-consuming practices based on stamping passports would be eliminated and greater accuracy and reliability during border checks should be assured through the introduction of biometric ID checks. Such innovations would clearly lead to notable changes in the processes and procedures employed at all levels and operational and technical challenges that lie ahead will be outlined in panel discussions of the conference.
"The EC Smart Borders Package might become a valuable tool for providing risk-based facilitation to a wider group of travellers. We should use the opportunity and take full advantage of the capabilities the technology provides to combine stronger security and more efficient external border management in Europe with ease of travel," explained Mr
Garkov.
The one-day conference will bring together delegates from European Union Institutions, national governments, corporate and non-governmental organisations. The presentations and debates will be made available in the Conference Report, which will be published in English.
For more information on the conference see:
www.eulisaconference2014.eu
Background on eu-LISA
The European Agency, eu-LISA, has been established to manage large scale information systems in the area of freedom, security and justice. It fulfils the operational management tasks for the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II), Visa Information System (VIS) and Eurodac. The Agency thereby supports the implementation of the EU's border management, asylum and migration policies. The Agency is responsible for keeping all the IT systems under its control permanently functional in order to allow continuous and uninterrupted exchange of data between national authorities. eu-LISA ensures that it applies the highest levels of information security and data protection to the information entrusted to it. The seat of the Agency is in Tallinn (Estonia), the operational management is carried out in Strasbourg (France) with the business continuity technical site in Sankt Johann im Pongau (Austria). The Agency was formally established in November 2012 and started its operations on 1 December 2012. The Agency is managed and represented by the Executive Director Mr Krum Garkov, who came to office on 1 November 2012.
Contact:
for media requests
eu-LISA Communication and Information Officer
press@eulisa.europa.eu
for general information
info@eulisa.europa.eu
