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The European Commission proposed Thursday to strengthen the mandate of the EU Agency for the operational management of large scale IT systems (eu-LISA), enabling the key management body to develop and roll-out technical solutions to make the EU information systems interoperable.
Established in 2011, eu-LISA is designed to provide a long-term solution for the operational management of large-scale IT systems, which are essential instruments in the implementation of the asylum, border management and migration policies of the European Union (EU).
The Commission believed that the proposed reform is a first step to ensure interoperability while addressing the existing shortcomings of EU information systems for security and border management, according to a press release published on its website.
"Our border guards, law enforcement and immigration officers need to have access to the right information at the right time to do their job. The security of our citizens depends on the quality and availability of this information," said the release, citing Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos.
"With the stronger mandate we propose today, eu-LISA will become the EU's digital centre of excellence, to make our vision for the interoperability of our information systems a reality," said Avramopoulos.
In addition, the commission is also proposing further improvements to the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) to allow member states to exchange criminal records of non-EU citizens more efficiently.
"Bringing the operational management of EU information systems under one roof and centralizing the information exchange of criminal records of non-EU nationals is an important step forward. With today's proposals we are giving police, prosecutors and judges stronger tools against cross-border crime and terrorism," Vera Jourova, commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality, said in the release.
Amid increasing terrorist attacks and cross-border crimes, the EU has been mulling to overcome the shortcomings in data management and interoperability-insufficiency of existing information systems.
In April 2016, the commission presented a communication on stronger and smarter information systems for borders and security, initiating a discussion on how information systems in the EU can better enhance border management and internal security.
In June 2016, the commission set up a High-Level Expert Group on Information Systems and Interoperability to take this work forward and to address the legal, technical and operational challenges to achieve interoperability.
The High-Level Expert Group held its last meeting on April 25 2017 and presented the final report on May 11, 2017.
