Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BRUSSELS1128
2008-07-24 10:56:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USEU Brussels
Cable title:  

STATUS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION'S SCHENGEN

Tags:  CVIS PTEL EU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4953
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV
DE RUEHBS #1128/01 2061056
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241056Z JUL 08
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001128 

CA FOR CAIP
DHS FOR OIA

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS PTEL EU
SUBJECT: STATUS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION'S SCHENGEN
INFORMATION SYSTEM BORDER CONTROL MECHANISMS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001128

CA FOR CAIP
DHS FOR OIA

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS PTEL EU
SUBJECT: STATUS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION'S SCHENGEN
INFORMATION SYSTEM BORDER CONTROL MECHANISMS


1. (U) SUMMARY: As the EU contends with enlargement, one of
the major issues continues to be monitoring who is leaving
and entering Europe in a changing border context. To contend
with this, the Schengen Information System (SIS) is
undergoing a number of changes to expand from its initial
iteration to a more technologically sustainable second
generation system. SIS has two major components-- that of
border control and law enforcement. This cable will focus on
intiatives in border control END SUMMARY

SIS I


2. (U) SIS I, the first iteration of the Schengen Information
System, was designed to cover a far smaller area than it does
today, post-enlargement. It is a computer system whose
purpose is to collect, catalog and distribute traveler
information throughout the Schengen states. The current
system was designed to cover eighteen states, but the
computer technology on which it is based is now outdated and
cannot handle the current twenty-four states. Schengen member
states decided that extending this original version of the
system to other countries would compromise the operational
stability of the system and may prove technically impossible.
SIS I currently stores only "alphanumeric" data (letters and
numbers),such as name, sex, age, nationality and criminal
record.


3. (U) Very often these details are not enough to give
authorities the information they need. Each member state
holds this information on persons who are the subject of its
alerts on SIS in a national database known as SIRENE (an
acronym for Supplementary Iformation Request at the National
Entry). These databases are under the control of national
SIRENE bureaus and the information on all these databases is
accessible to law enforcement agencies in all Schengen member
states upon request. SIRENE, though an essential function of
the SIS system, had no mention in the 1990 Convention that
established SIS, and originally had no legal basis. There
are now provisions requiring each Schengen state to designate
a national SIRENE bureau to be responsible for the
protection and exchange of this information in accordance
with EU-wide standards.

SIS II


4. (U) This second generation system continues to be delayed,
but is anticipated to be fully operational by mid-2009. The
system will have a more up-to-date computer system that will
be able to contend with the increasing number of Schengen
states and will also collect biometric data on travelers.


5. (U) The major improvements between SIS I and SIS II are
the categories of data storied in the system. Namely, these
will include biometric data, such as fingerprint and
photographic data, and, in the future, potentially DNA
profiles and retina scans.

SIS One4All


6. (U) While the SIS II system is developed and SIS I remains
inadequate, a number of new member states have joined the
Schengen acquis and have been anxious to be fully integrated
in to "borderless" Europe. SIS One4All was created to
address the gap left by SIS II's drastic delay from its
original proposed implmentation date of October 2007.
Presented by Portugal, SIS One4All is a temporary compromise
technology that allowed new member states timely entry into
the Schengen acquis while awaiting full implementation of the
more robust SIS II. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary,
Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia are
the European Union member states currently using SIS One4All.

VIS


7. (U) The EU is creating a Visa Information System (VIS)
which will be based on a centralized architecture and consist
of a central information system, referred to as the Central
Visa Information System (CS-VIS),an interface in each member
state, referred to as the National Interface (NI-VIS) which
will provide the connection to the relevant central national
authority of the respective member state, and the
communication infrastructure between CS-VIS and NI-VIS. The
purpose of VIS is to improve the implementation of a common
visa policy and enhance consular cooperation and cosultation
between central visa authorities by enhancing the exchange of
data between Member States on visa applications. Doing this
the EU hopes to limit the possibility of fraud and "visa

BRUSSELS 00001128 002 OF 002


shopping" from country to country.


8. (U) There are current initiatives to tie the VIS database
to the anticipated SIS II database. While these projects are
not yet fully operational, the ultimate EU design aims to
incorporate all biometric entry and exit information into a
central, accessible database. The stand-alone VIS is
expected to be operational by May 2009.



SILVERBERG
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