The Schengen Information System II delayed

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Scheduled to start operating in June 2006, the Schengen Information System
II (SIS II) that would allow the competent authorities in the Member States
to obtain information regarding certain categories of persons and property,
will be delayed, as it resulted from a meeting of ministers of the interior
and ministers of justice from EU member states in Brussels.

The reasons given for the delay were related to legal and technical
problems. Several European data protection commissioners who are
supposed to approve of SIS II have shown resistance to the system
considering there is not enough information of the way in which the
collected data will be used by the police. The degree of access of the
police to the biometric data included in the new passports has not yet been
established. From the technical standpoint, the database system, initially
to be set up in Strasbourg by Steria Mummert Consulting and HP Belgium, now
undertaken by Unisys and Microsoft has not yet been completed as the data
base is supposed to contain all exist and entry data, which is a very
difficult task.

The integration of the new EU members in the system in 2007 appeared as no
longer realistic and the discussions are now whether to speed up the system
or prepare it in stages.

In the opinion of Bernhard Marfurt, the Swiss Ambassador for EU, developing
SIS II in stages might make it technically obsolete. “SIS II must above all
keep pace with technical developments,” he said.

At a first phase, this delay means that in 2007 travellers will still have
to show their passports at the borders of EU with the new member states but
effects are expected in the long run as well. Events like the European
Soccer Championship in 2008 could determine Switzerland and Austria to take
the same attitude Germany took during the latest Soccer World Cup meaning
reintroducing their border controls during the event. The reintroduction of
border controls at EU borders in Germany was mainly aimed at stopping
potential criminals, especially violent football fans, from entering the
country.

Schengen Information System II will experience a delay (26.07.2006)
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/75955

Germany to temporarily have checks at its borders for the Football World Cup
(25.04.2006)
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/72347

Schengen Information System
http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l33183.htm

EDRI-gram : EU Parliament Members want more privacy in SIS II (10.05.2006)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number4.9/sisII