30.9.2010   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 265/1

A.

whereas in Council Regulation (EC) No 2424/2001 of 6 December 2001 the Commission was given a mandate to develop the second-generation Schengen Information System (SIS) (1), to come into force in March 2007,

B.

whereas Parliament adopted Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006 (2) establishing the legal basis for SIS II on 13 October 2006,

C.

whereas numerous problems and delays have meant that the new system has still not come into operation, and whereas doubts have been cast on the viability of the project,

D.

whereas a number of countries, including Ireland, the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania and Liechtenstein, will not be incorporated into the SIS system until a solution is found,

E.

whereas the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 4 and 5 June 2009 adopted a set of conclusions on the new orientation of SIS II, deciding that the development of the system should continue on the basis of the existing SIS II project but with the alternative scenario of a SIS 1+ RE as a back-up solution,

F.

whereas two technical tests (so-called milestone tests) will have to be carried out, the first at the end of 2009 and the second in the summer of 2010,

G.

whereas the current forecast is that SIS II will not be able to come into operation until the last quarter of 2011,

H.

whereas Parliament adopted Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 (3) establishing the legal basis for the Visa Information System (VIS) on 7 June 2007,

I.

whereas the establishment of the VIS, based on the same technical platform and developed by the same contractor as the SIS II system, is also a priority for the EU,

J.

whereas the VIS is also being delayed, given that the date of deployment at the end of 2009 will not be met and that the start of operations might be delayed beyond September 2010 owing to certain problems in setting up the central VIS by the Commission and with regard to preparations at national level in the Member States,

1.

Stresses the fact that the establishment of SIS II still remains a priority for Parliament and that it should be operational as soon as possible, introducing several improvements and new functionalities, as foreseen in the legal basis, in order to reinforce the security of European citizens and guarantee efficient border controls at external borders, while ensuring the completion and coherence of the Schengen acquis;

2.

Expresses deep concern at the delays in the start of operations of both the SIS II and the VIS systems;

3.

Asks to be informed by the Commission and the Council of the results of the technical milestone 1 test, due to take place on 22 December 2009, immediately after its completion and to be informed without delay as to the future steps to be taken;

4.

Calls for full transparency as regards the implementation process, also concerning the financial aspects, and asks to be informed, as co-legislator, whether the so-called milestone 1 and 2 tests are still within the scope of the present SIS II development contract or whether they will have to be treated as additional requirements, and what extra costs are envisaged in that case;

5.

Asks to know if any penalties have been imposed on the contractor for the delays and technical errors that led to the failure of the earlier tests and, if so, what they amounted to; asks, moreover, to be informed of the extra costs involved in those delays and technical errors in terms of the need to carry out the new tests and the extended timetable for the deployment of SIS II;

6.

Calls for concerted and coordinated efforts from the Commission and the Member States to avoid the scenario that happened in connection with the development of the SIS II being repeated in relation to the VIS;

7.

Asks the Council and the Commission to give a reasoned explanation of the grounds on which they continue to have confidence in the current contractor and in its ability to take the VIS and SIS II systems forward successfully and without further delays;

8.

Stresses that the Council and the Commission must involve Parliament in any decision related to the development of SIS II and VIS, in particular if the results of the tests are not satisfactory, thus leading to a change of direction regarding both the SIS II and the VIS projects, which might include cancelling the present contract with the company responsible for them;

9.

Calls on the Commission to clarify whether any cancellation of the contract will automatically lead, in the case of the SIS II project, to the back-up or contingency solution being implemented, and to outline the possible effects on the VIS project;

10.

Stresses that Parliament must be kept constantly informed of the state of play as regards the deployment of SIS II and VIS;

11.

Instructs its relevant committee to monitor this issue closely and to prepare a follow-up resolution for plenary as soon as new developments warrant it, and at the latest after the completion of the milestone 1 test;

12.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the governments and parliaments of the Me mber States.