The EU internal security IT systems to be controlled from Estonia starting from the coming year

On 12 September, the General Affairs Council of the European Union adopted a regulation to set up the Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice.

“At the moment, two systems are used: the Schengen Information System or SIS and the database of the fingerprints of asylum seekers, EURODAC. The soon-to-be-completed Visa Information System will also be introduced in the near future. However, the broader use of IT systems in the interests of internal security is currently being discussed and that may mean the creation of new information systems in the future. The existing and future information systems facilitate the tracking of cross-border crime and illegal migration in the EU,” assures Piret Lilleväli.

The Agency is tasked with the operational management and development of large-scale IT systems in the internal security area, and the management of the related communication infrastructure. At the moment, two large-scale information systems are in use, but due to the security needs of the European Union the development of several new systems is expected in the coming years. The headquarters of the Agency will be located in Tallinn, with data centres in Strasbourg, France, and Sankt Johann im Pongau, Austria.

The Ministry of the Interior will host a delegation from the European Commission in Tallinn on 14-15 September. The meeting includes a discussion of the host country agreement and a review of the possible locations for the temporary headquarters of the Agency. The visit of the respresentatives of the IT Agency will be led by Ioan-Dragos Tudorache, the head of the Internal Affairs Unit of the Directorate General, Unit C2 - IT projects: Infrastructure and Legal Affairs.