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eu-LISA marks its first anniversary

Today and tomorrow the Management Board (MB) of 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 working meeting in Tallinn. The board convenes at the site of the headquarters of the Agency a few days prior the first anniversary of eu-LISA, which started its operations on 1 December 2012.


"The agenda of the meeting of the Management Board in Tallinn is intense and demanding as always. However, this meeting is also a very special one, as it takes place close to the first anniversary of the Agency that allows for the first reflection time. I am proud and happy to acknowledge that the start of eu-LISA has been very successful. For less than a year the Agency is already capable to deliver its mandate in full scope and also assumed additional tasks requested by the EU Member States," said Mr Krum GARKOV, Executive Director of eu-LISA.


In 2013 the Agency smoothly undertook the operational management of VIS, EURODAC and SIS II, as well as the project and contract management related activities, which were initially carried out by the European Commission. As part of the above tasks, eu-LISA took over all the activities of the network supervision (s-Testa) that forms the communication infrastructure for the systems.


"It is the 7th meeting of our Management Board and we are pleased to see that the Agency, which started with less than half a dozen of staff and high expectations from Member States, has within a year grown into a fully functioning service provider," said Mr Matthias Taube, the Chairman of the Management Board.

In 2014 eu-LISA aims through smart technologies to increase the added value to the Member States whose needs and demands for services in the area of freedom, security and justice are increasing in correlation with the expectations from the EU citizens.

Background:

eu-LISA manages the IT- systems:

  • SIS II, which entered into operation on 9 April 2013. It facilitates the exchange of information on persons and objects between national border control au­thorities, police, customs, visa and judicial authorities throughout the Schengen Area. SIS II is a modern system with enhanced functionalities allowing to include biometric data and European Arrest Warrants. eu-LISA is fully responsible for the operational management of SIS II as from 9 May 2013.

  • VIS went live in October 2011. It supports the im­plementation of the common visa policy and facilitates effective border control by enabling dedicated national authorities to enter and consult data, including biometrics, for short-stay visas for the Schengen Area.

  • EURODAC is an information system for comparing the fingerprints of asylum seekers and irregu­lar border-crossers. It facilitates the application of the Dublin II Regulation, which makes it possible to determine the Member State responsible for examining an asylum appli­cation.


The highest governing body of eu-LISA is the Management Board. It is composed of representatives of the Member States and the European Commis­sion. Associated Countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein) as well as EUROPOL and EUROJUST are also represented in the Management Board.


eu-LISA is administratively managed and legally represented by the Executive Director, Mr Krum GARKOV who heads the staff of 120. The headquarters of the Agency is located in Tallinn, Estonia, the systems are managed in Strasbourg, France and the back-up site is in Sankt Johann im Pongau, Austria.

 

Contact:

Communication and Information Officer 
e-mail: press@eulisa.europa.eu