The EU launched an updated SIS, which is now valid in 30 European countries 2cd7ff7.jpg” alt=”The updated Schengen Information System has come into effect” />
The European Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday that the modernized Schengen Information System (SIS) has come into effect.< /p>
SIS is “the largest information exchange system for security and border control in Europe”, according to the European Commission communiqué.
It provides information on wanted or missing persons; third-country nationals who do not have the legal right to remain in the EU; and lost or stolen items (such as cars, firearms, boats, and identity documents).
“The updated SIS is the backbone of the most advanced border control system in the world that we are building. Together with the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), SIS will become part of the interoperability (border security) architecture,” says in the EC communication.
Enhanced SIS capabilities include new categories of information, including additional biometrics, missing person DNA information, and additional tools to combat crime and terrorism, marked in the document.
Updating the Schengen information system, the EC points out, will effectively warn about the need to protect vulnerable persons and detect illegal migration. The upgrade, Brussels explains, is aimed at “providing national authorities with more complete and reliable information to improve security and improve border control in Europe.”
Europol and national immigration authorities now have access to all categories of warnings appearing in the SIS. Access to the SIS has been made available to task forces from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).
The EC emphasizes that “SIS has strict quality and data protection requirements”.
Today, the updated SIS is valid in 30 European countries (26 EU member states and associated Schengen countries). In the summer of 2023, Cyprus, a member of the European Union, will join the system.
Ordinary tourists are threatened by all this except for longer passport control checks when entering the EU.
