The ongoing pandemic has triggered the need for changes to the way business is conducted both locally and on a global scale. eu-LISA and its key stakeholders have swiftly introduced all the necessary means to guarantee business continuity. Teleworking has quickly become the new norm for many. However, the particularity of our 24/7 operational requirements, means that eu-LISA manages the required on-site tasks, while applying all the health and safety rules as foreseen by the national authorities of the countries where our operations are performed, and handles various administrative and organisational tasks remotely via teleworking.
Video conferencing has been in practice at eu-LISA since its inception. With the Agency located in different physical sites, it is not exceptional for staff members to have several "VC Meetings" in a single day. It is part of our business specifics and organisational culture to discuss and plan as well as solve problems with colleagues sitting in meeting rooms situated in Tallinn, Strasbourg and/or Brussels.
The management and governance of eu-LISA's ongoing large-scale IT systems development projects, namely the Entry/Exit System (EES), the European Travel Information Authorisation System (ETIAS), the European Criminal Records Information System – Third Country Nationals (ECRIS-TCN) and the foreseen Interoperability between these and pre-existing (Eurodac, SIS and VIS) systems has not been put on stand-by. Given that face-to-face meetings cannot be held today due to both health concerns and travel restrictions, governance meetings have gone digital.
The first fully online joint meeting of the Programme Management Boards (PMB) for EES, ETIAS and Interoperability was held on the 26th of March with 30 delegates all dialling in from their homes or offices to a virtual meeting room hosted by eu-LISA. 1oo% of the regular attendees took part and the meeting produced important outcomes that need to be considered in the further development of the systems.
Progress in projects that are key to Europe's internal security and border management cannot be put on hold. Hence, the scheduled upcoming governance meetings concerning the IT systems run by eu-LISA, will all be held as planned in video conferencing format. These include five individual meetings in April and eleven in May. All Advisory Groups and PMBs as well as the Audit, Compliance and Finance Committee (ACFC) and the Management Board Coordination Group meetings will take place online for the foreseeable future. eu-LISA is and will be operational to provide uninterrupted services to the Member States and to discuss and plan with them as well as with our partner Agencies all the questions on our agendas.
Background:
About eu-LISA
The European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) was established in 2011 in order to provide a long-term solution for the EU internal security and to support the implementation of asylum, migration and border management policies. Since then, eu-LISA has run Eurodac, SIS and VIS and has been providing Member State authorities with the expert training needed to help them with the constant exchange of information across Europe. Thanks to the trust eu-LISA has fostered over the years, we are now developing EES, ETIAS and ECRIS-TCN and ensuring interoperability between all six IT-systems, in order to take EU internal security and border management to the next level.
The headquarters of eu-LISA are in Tallinn, Estonia, whilst its operational centre is in Strasbourg, France. There is also a technical business continuity site based in Sankt Johann im Pongau, Austria and a Liaison Office in Brussels, Belgium.
Website: https://www.eulisa.europa.eu/
Social media: Twitter; Facebook; LinkedIn; YouTube
Contact:
press@eulisa.europa.eu
