Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the evaluation of the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) in accordance with art. 24 (5), 43 (3) and 50 (5) of Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006 and art. 59 (3) and 66 (5) of Decision 2007/533/JHA

Summary:

The Schengen Information System (SIS) is a centralised, large-scale information system supporting checks on persons and objects (such as travel documents and vehicles) at the external Schengen borders and reinforcing law enforcement and judicial cooperation within 29 countries throughout Europe.

SIS was established in 1995, in the six signatory Member States of the Schengen Agreement, as the major compensatory measure following the abolition of internal border controls, in accordance with the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement. In the absence of such controls, Member States had to address the issues of cross-border crime and irregular migration. In order to maintain a high level of security, Member States had to move away from the traditional concept of bilateral agreements and legal assistance and establish a tailor-made solution to locate:
- Third-country nationals not allowed to enter the Schengen area;
- Persons to be arrested for extradition or surrender;
- Missing persons, in particular children;
- Persons and certain objects for discreet or specific checks (travelling serious criminals and threats to national security);
- Persons to assist with a judicial procedure;
- Certain categories of lost or stolen objects for seizure or use as evidence.

As a consequence, SIS was established, storing alerts on wanted persons and objects. It is directly accessible to the relevant competent authorities in the Member States, for carrying out checks and creating alerts. It includes instructions on the specific action to be taken when the person or object is located, e.g. to arrest a person, protect a vulnerable missing person or to seize an object, such as an invalid passport or stolen car. SIS underwent different evolutions throughout the years. The main ones, i.e. SIS 1+ and SISone4all, allowed the connection of new countries joining the Schengen area as well as enhanced technical performance.

The second generation of the system (SIS II) entered into operation on 9 April 2013. The operation and use of SIS is established in two major legal instruments: Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006 relates to the use of SIS in checks on third-country nationals who do not fulfil the conditions for entry or stay in the Schengen area and Council Decision 2007/533/JHA relates to the use of SIS for police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

Official

EUR-Lex: SWD(2016)450: Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the report http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2016:450:FIN

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