European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.

The European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) was established in 2011 and became operational on 1 December 2012. The Agency is responsible for the operational management and development of the EU’s large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice. eu-LISA’s revised establishing Regulation entered into force on 11 December 2018, expanding the Agency’s mandate to improve, design and develop information systems in the context of internal security, border management and judicial cooperation. The revised mandate broadens the scope of the Agency’s work on research, innovation and testing, and foresees the possibility to support the delivery of pilot projects and proofs of concept. Today, eu-LISA manages the Schengen Information System (SIS), the Visa Information System (VIS) and the European Asylum Dactyloscopy Database (Eurodac).

COM/2022/301 final/2. European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, 2022.

The Schengen area without controls at internal borders (‘the Schengen area’) is a historic achievement of European integration. Since its foundations were laid in 1985, it has changed the daily reality of millions of people. The Schengen project has torn down barriers, brought people closer together and strengthened European economies. The speed with which people, goods and services circulate within the EU helps drive European competitiveness and generate jobs and growth.

COM/2023/274 final. European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, 2023.

The second State of Schengen Report is part of the Commission's initiative to further reinforce the Schengen governance through a yearly reporting exercise presenting the state of Schengen, identifying challenges and best practices, as well as priority areas for action.

COM(2024) 173 final. European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, 2024.

In 2023, the Schengen area without controls at internal borders (the “Schengen area”) continued to show resilience in the face of a changing geopolitical landscape, although it remains exposed to interconnected challenges. The 2024 State of Schengen report takes stock of the important developments that have taken place over the last year providing a comprehensive overview of the state of the Schengen area. It reflects the major initiatives within the current Commission’s mandate to strengthen the Schengen framework.

European Parliament, Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union, Carrera, S., Colombi, D., Cortinovis, R., European Parliament, 2023.

This Study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the LIBE Committee, assesses the state of play of the EU Schengen area and the latest legal and policy developments with direct relevance to the Schengen acquis. It analyses the impact of these developments, and the role of ‘declared crisis’, on the Schengen Borders Code, Luxembourg Court standards and EU Treaty principles and fundamental rights. The Study calls for an approach based on ‘merited or deserved trust’ to uphold the legitimacy of the Schengen area. Such an approach should focus on the effective and timely enforcement of EU rules and Treaty values – chiefly the rule of law and fundamental rights – instead of expanding intra-EU policing and the proliferation of technological surveillance and databases leading to the (in)securitisation of people’s freedom of movement.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Citizens' attitudes towards the Schengen area – Eurobarometer summary, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The Schengen Area is the largest free travel area in the world, enabling all persons to cross internal borders (meaning borders between countries of the Schengen Area) without being subjected to border checks. Being part of the area without internal border controls means that these countries:  carry out harmonised border controls at their external borders (i.e. at the borders between a Schengen State and a non-Schengen State) based on clearly defined criteria and standards;  do not carry out border checks at their internal borders (i.e. borders between two Schengen States). As a result, both EU citizens and non-EU nationals may freely travel within the Schengen Area without being subject to a border check, as they are checked when crossing the external border.

European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.

In the past two decades, the amount of people travelling internationally has more than doubled. During the same period, the legal and technical requirements for crossing international borders have also changed considerably, largely motivated by the objectives of security, migration management and travel facilitation. These new requirements have impacted the whole ‘traveller continuum’, a phrase describing all the steps the travellers must follow to complete their journey, from the decision to travel abroad to the arrival at their chosen destination. International travel to the EU is conditioned by a set of legal frameworks whose implementation and operation is facilitated by an evolving architecture of large-scale IT systems in the JHA domain. First is the EU common visa policy, identifying third-country nationals that are visa-exempt and those that are required to hold a visa for entering the EU’s border-free area – the Schengen Area.

European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, Eurodac 2023 annual statistics, European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, 2024.

The European Dactyloscopy Database (Eurodac) is the large-scale IT system used in the EU for managing asylum applications within the EU+2, as illustrated in Figure 1. The system allows fingerprint comparison and storage, and therefore supports the effective implementation of Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 in determining the Member State3 responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the Member States. The Eurodac 2023 Statistics report presents a detailed compilation of data for each Eurodac category.

European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, 2024.

In accordance with common Articles 7 of Regulation (EU) No 2018/1861 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 November 2018 on the establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of border checks and of Regulation (EU) 2018/1862 of the European Parliament and the Council on the establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters each Member State shall designate an authority (the N.SIS Office) which shall have the central responsibility for its N.SIS and another authority which shall be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and which shall ensure the exchange and availability of supplementary information (the SIRINE Bureau).

Council of the European Union: General Secretariat of the Council, Schengen – Your gateway to free movement in Europe, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Schengen, a small village in Luxembourg close to the border with Germany and France, has become synonymous with the free movement of people in Europe. The abolition of internal border controls has gone hand in hand with common rules for controlling external borders and reinforced judicial and police cooperation for combating crime. Each state in the Schengen area is regularly assessed by the EU competent bodies to check that it applies the agreed rules correctly. The Schengen area without internal border controls currently covers 29 countries, with 25 EU Member States and 4 associated countries that apply the entire Schengen acquis.

European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The Schengen area is one of the key achievements of European integration. Since 1985 when the Schengen Agreement was signed, cooperation across borders between countries remains fundamental to guarantee smooth and secure travel.

Frontex, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This document outlines the second Technical and Operational Strategy for European Integrated Border Management, marking a significant step forward since the initial Strategy introduced by the Agency's Management Board in March 2019. With the enhanced mandate of the European Border and Coast Guard, implemented ten months later, and the creation of the Standing Corps — the first uniformed law enforcement service at the EU level — we have seen a boost in operational effectiveness and the ability to respond swiftly across operational areas. In the four years since, amidst a global health crisis and escalating conflicts in our vicinity that have led to unprecedented migratory pressures, the Standing Corps has demonstrated its indispensable role in these increasingly complex times.

European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This study has been conducted by ICF in support of the European Commission’s evaluation of the amended Visa Code (Regulation (2019/1155)) by assessing the implementation, effectiveness, relevance, coherence and European Union (EU) added value of the amendments introduced in 2019. The findings of the study are based on stakeholder feedback received and analysis conducted by the ICF study team of the evidence collected. The study concludes that the objectives of the amended Visa Code have been achieved only partially at this stage. This is primarily linked to the overall impact of COVID-19 on the evaluation period, as well as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which greatly distorted global travel and impacted visa statistics.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Study on the travel medical insurance used by visa holders during their stay in the territory of the Member States – Final report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

In 2004, Council decision No 2004/17/EC introduced requirements on travel medical insurance (TMI) for granting a uniform visa. These provisions were later integrated into Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code). The TMI requirements determine that applicants for a Schengen uniform short-stay visa should prove that they are in possession of a TMI, with a minimum EUR 30,000 coverage, covering repatriation for medical reasons and emergency health services provided for unforeseen health problems which might arise during their stay(s) in the territory of the Member States and Schengen Associated States.

European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Rana, A., Ciardulli, A., Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

Security and authenticity of visa stickers has been historically based on the use of physical security features such as the use of special inks (including ultraviolet and infrared), printing techniques and Diffractive Optical Variable Image Devices (DOVIDs). Regulation (EU) 2017/1370 introduced a new design for the visa sticker with additional security features, subsequently, as an additional security measure, the use a visible digital seal (VDS) was mandated with Commission Implementing Decision C(2020)2672 of 30.4.2020. A visible digital seals (VDS) is, in simple words, a 2D barcode which contains a subset of the biographic information printed on the visa sticker. This subset of information is digitally encoded as a binary string and signed by a so called “barcode signer” authorised by the Country Signing Certificate Authority of the visa issuing country.