On the 17th and 18th October 2017, eu-LISA hosted its 4th annual conference in Tallinn. This annual gathering of high-level government representatives, thought leaders, practitioners and other Agency stakeholders, focussed on discussing the most relevant topics to the evolution of the Justice and Home Affairs domain.
“Going Digital for a Safe and Secure Europe” was an important forum in which responses to challenges such as irregular migration, cross-border crime and terrorism were addressed and approaches to advancement considered. Emphasis was also given to examining IT-based solutions that can enhance Europe’s internal security. The 2017 conference was supported by the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU and was attended by close to 150 participants over the foreseen two days.
Keynote speakers at the event included Andres Anvelt, Estonian Minister of the Interior, and Krum Garkov, Executive Director of eu-LISA. Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, addressed the audience with a video message. All three outlined thoughts on how IT solutions contribute to a safe and secure Europe. Panel discussions followed during which future perspectives on the digital transformation of the work of law enforcement, border and migration authorities was considered. Taking on board the outcomes of the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Information Systems and Interoperability outlined in the group’s final report of May 2017, discussions on interoperability in both justice and internal security fields was particularly timely and significant.
Panel discussions on Day 2 drew upon the expertise and innovative capabilities of the audience to bring innovative thinking to plans for advancement in the use of mobile devices and the possible application of analytics in an interoperable systems environment.
