eu-LISA Annual Conference 2015: The Future Tested

On 8 October 2015, eu-LISA held a working-level conference in Tallinn entitled “The Future Tested: Towards a Smart Borders Reality”.

The event aimed to convene a diverse group of stakeholders and experts to discuss the evolution of border management in Europe and the technical solutions to be put in place. The various speakers and panellists involved in the conference evoked findings from the Smart Borders pilot and other relevant experiences at international level to elicit ideas and feed creative thinking towards smarter border solutions in the future. Attendees also had the opportunity to look beyond Smart Borders and reflect on possible developments in the long term.

The one-day conference brought together up to 140 delegates from European Union Institutions and Agencies, national authorities of EU Member States, international organisations, academia and other stakeholders.

Event Report

• 08:30 - 09:30
  Welcome coffee and registration
• 09:30 - 11:15
  Keynote presentations
  • Chair: Mare Haab, Head of Sector – External and Internal Communication, eu-LISA
  • Opening statement: Krum Garkov, Executive Director, eu-LISA
  • Presentations:
    • Marc Sulon, Head of Sector “Smart Borders”, Directorate-General for Home Affairs, European Commission
    • Antonio Fulco, Head of Sector – Service design and transversal services and Smart Borders pilot project manager, eu-LISA
    • Panagiotis Mertis, Ministry of the Interior and Administrative Reformation, Hellenic Police IT Directorate, Greece, National Project Manager for the Smart Borders pilot in Greece
• 11:15 - 11:45
  Coffee break
• 11:45 - 13:15
  Panel discussion
  What Now? – Learning from the Smart Borders Pilot
  This panel will be practical, anticipating lessons that will need to be learned from the Smart Borders pilot and the operational testing phase in particular. Panellists will elaborate upon their experiences from a technical, operational and fundamental rights perspective and put forward their thoughts on how the results should be used when compiled and published in the coming months.
  • Chair: Maj Ritter Klejnstrup, Security Officer and Smart Borders pilot project team, eu-LISA
  • Pannelists:
    • Jorge Rodrigues, Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (SEF), Smart Borders Pilot National Project Manager, Portugal
    • Nicolas Goniak, Application Director – Immigration Control, French Ministry of the Interior, Smart Borders pilot National Project Manager, France
    • Fares Rahmun, Technical Project Manager for Smart Borders and VIS at the Federal Office of Administration (BVA), Germany
    • Anne-Charlotte Nygard, Programme Manager, Freedoms and Justice Department, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
• 13:15 - 14:30
  Lunch break

• 14:30 - 16:00
  Parallel panel discussions
   

  Smart Borders in Context: Learning from Global Experiences
  Relevant procedures used in international border management as well as results from relevant international pilots and research projects will be discussed in this session, providing a wealth of information against which to compare plans for future border management in Europe.

  • Chair: Tõnu Tammer, Policy Expert in Home Affairs and the Smart Borders pilot project manager, eu-LISA
  • Panellists:
    • Kier-co Gerritsen, partner in Proodos Consultancy, advisor to the Aruba government and airport on the ‘Happy-Flow’ pilot
    • Markus Clabian, Austrian Institute of Technology, Project Manager of the EU-funded FastPass project
    • Arun Vemury, Programme Manager, United States Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate

  Evolution of Border Management in Europe – The Practitioners’ Views
  This session will look at the practical implications of planned innovation at the external borders of the European Union. From the practitioners’ viewpoint, will the changes being planned or discussed make border control more secure and efficient? What challenges lie ahead?

  • Chair: Ciarán Carolan, Research and Development Officer and member of the Smart Borders pilot project team, eu-LISA
  • Panellists:
    • Valentin Niculescu, Head of Schengen Evaluation and Procedures Service, General Inspectorate of the Romanian Border Police, Romania
    • Edgar Beugels, Head of the Research and Development Unit, Frontex
    • Pasi Nokelainen, System Manager at the Finnish Border Guard and Technical Manager of the Finnish National Smart Borders pilot, Finland
• 16:00 - 16:30
  Coffee break
• 16:30 - 17:30
  Wrap-up and conclusions
  Beyond Smart Borders: Towards Innovation in Future European Border Management
  • Krum Garkov, Executive Director, eu-LISA

Morning Highlights

Afternoon Highlights