Schengen: second generation information system SIS II, development. Initiative Belgium and Sweden

This is a progress report on work carried out by the Commission in the first semester of 2007 covering the development of the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II). It sets out the timetable for future activities. It has been presented by the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament in accordance with Article 6 of Regulation 2424/2001/EC.

Achievements in the period under review:  Following the adoption of the two Regulations on SIS II at the end of 2006, the SIS II Decision was adopted by the Council on 12 June. Negotiations for the SIS II legal framework took longer than expected, which caused some difficulties for the development of SIS II, particularly concerning preparation for the fundamental design of documents and for the development of the national and central systems. Following the go-ahead for the SISOne4allproject in December 2006, a revised schedule for SIS II was prepared, taking account of the impact of the SISOne4all project on SIS II. The revised schedule foresees a target date of 17 December 2008 for making the SIS II system available to all SIS1+ users.

After complex and lengthy negotiations with the French authorities throughout the first Semester of 2007, the French authorities have confirmed their commitment to participating in operational management during the transitional period.  The Factory Acceptance tests of the SIS II central system were completed on schedule and preparations for subsequent phases of testing are in progress. There has been a very positive response from Member States for participating in the Operational System Tests (11volunteers, well above the minimum requirement for 6 volunteers to allow the tests to go ahead).  During the reporting period, concerns were expressed that parallel efforts to implement both SISone4all and SIS II may lead to delays in certain Member States' national SIS II projects, due to resource constraints. The Council has stressed on several occasions that SISone4all is a temporary solution and that priority must also be given to the development of SIS II.

Development of the central system: As indicated in the previous report, phase 1 was contractually closed at the end of 2006. This entailed completion of an Interface Control Document (ICD), which described how Member States can connect to and use the SIS II, Further, the Detailed Technical Specifications (DTS) describing how the system is to be built and tested and how Member States will communicate with the central system, was also finalised. On 20 April, the Commission delivered updated versions of the ICD (version 2.5) and DTS (DTS 1.3.0). A Change Management Board, has been created, the purpose of which is to give an opinion to the SIS II Committee on issues related to corrections and changes in the technical specifications and implementation of SIS II.

Priorities for the next reporting period:

In future, top priority will be given to connecting local SIS II networks on time. This will allow for the next wave testing involving the Member States to go ahead, on schedule.

The Compliance Test is due to be finalised with at least six Operational System Tests (OST) and the System Solution Tests due to be completed by mid October 2007. The OST with at least six users is scheduled to start in November 2007.

Preparations for the operational management for SIS II will carry on, including negotiating  service contracts with France and Austria. Work with the main development contractor will also continue, with a view to completing a smooth transfer to French (and, where applicable,  Austrian) authorities.

The draft decision to define the scope and responsibilities of tests, with Member State involvement, is due to be submitted for adoption by the Commission during the forthcoming reporting period, following completion of consultations and comitology procedures.

Work on the SIRENE manual, the implementing rules and the proposed long term solution for operational management will be continued.

To conclude, in the first half of the year development work continued on schedule and the initial phases of testing such as the Factory Acceptance Tests were completed successfully. There has been a positive response from Member States volunteering to participate in the Operational System Tests. With regard to infrastructure, the first service contract with France for the provision of fully equipped and serviced workspace for the project teams was due to be signed shortly after the reporting period.