After persistent delays of the Entry/Exit System, a Bloomberg investigation has traced blame to the Russian arm of a French IT contractor, Atos. Atos was contracted to supply its software for the EES System, which is entering its fifth year of delays. The planned system will provision automated electronic monitoring of all non-EU citizens crossing borders into the Schengen Area.
Eu-Lisa, overseeing the EU’s new travel information system, reported the company’s failures to meet deadlines in the project and financial troubles, compounding the systems’ disappointing lack of progress overall. The entire project has largely been mismanaged with sky-high costs and poor performance of contractors brought in to build the system. One of the latest tests of the system revealed connectivity and interoperability problems connecting member states with the central database.
Atos is coming under fire for purchasing decisions for software for the Entry/Exit System via its Russian office. Since Russia decided to initiative war with Ukraine, sanctions towards Russia have involved swearing off business and operations. There is no evidence however that the contractor purchased the EES software from its Russian arm after the war began.
