2006/752/EC: Commission Decision of 3 November 2006 establishing the sites for the Visa Information System during the development phase (notified under document number C(2006) 5161)
Date: 2006-11-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU visa policy, admission of aliens, disclosure of information, information system

4.11.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 305/13

COMMISSION DECISION

of 3 November 2006

establishing the sites for the Visa Information System during the development phase

(notified under document number C(2006) 5161)

(Only the Czech, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian,

Italian, Latvian,

Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish texts are authentic)

(2006/752/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(6)

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Decision 2004/512/EC of 8 June
2004 establishing the Visa Information System (VIS) (1), and
in particular Article 3 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

It is necessary for the development of the VIS including
its communication network to determine the location of
its central system and backup central system.

The Council conclusions of 20 February 2004 on the
development of
the Visa Information System (VIS)
stated that the VIS should be based on a centralised
architecture and have a common technical platform
with the SIS II and it should be hosted in the same
location as the SIS II central system.

The Council conclusions of 29 April 2004 on the
Schengen information system stated that
the central
part of SIS II should be located in Strasbourg and the
business continuity site should be located in Salzburg.

Appropriate arrangements should hereafter be put
in
place between the Commission and the Member States
hosting the central system and the backup system of the
VIS during its development. These arrangements should,
in particular, specify the conditions governing the rela-
tionships between the different parties, access to the sites
for relevant bodies and personnel and the local support
to be provided by the hosting Member States.

(5)

This Decision is without prejudice to the adoption in the
future of the legislative instruments for the establishment,
operations, use and location of the VIS.

(1) OJ L 213, 15.6.2004, p. 5.

(7)

(8)

(9)

In accordance with Council Decision 2000/365/EC of 29
May 2000 concerning the request of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in
some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (2), the
United Kingdom has not taken part in the adoption of
Decision 2004/512/EC and is not bound by it or subject
to its application as it constitutes a development of
provisions of the Schengen acquis. The United Kingdom
is
this Commission
decision.

therefore not an addressee of

In accordance with Council Decision 2002/192/EC of 28
February 2002 concerning Ireland's request to take part
the Schengen acquis (3),
in some of the provisions of
Ireland has not taken part in the adoption of Decision
2004/512/EC and is not bound by it or subject to its
application as it constitutes a development of provisions
of
Ireland is therefore not an
addressee of this Commission decision.

the Schengen acquis.

Pursuant to Article 5 of the Protocol on the position of
Denmark, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and
the Treaty establishing the European Community, on 13
August 2004 Denmark decided to implement Decision
2004/512/EC in Danish law. Decision 2004/512/EC is
thus binding upon Denmark in international law.

As regards Iceland and Norway, Decision 2004/512/EC
constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen
acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded
by the Council of the European Union and the Republic
of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the
latters' association with the implementation, application
and development of the Schengen acquis (4), which fall
within the area referred to in Article 1(b) of Council
Decision 1999/437/EC of 17 May 1999 on certain
the Agreement
the application of
arrangements
concluded by the Council of the European Union and
the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway
concerning the association of those two States with the
implementation, application and development of
the
Schengen acquis (5).

for

(2) OJ L 131, 1.6.2000, p. 43.
(3) OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 20.
(4) OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 36.
(5) OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 31.

L 305/14

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

4.11.2006

(10) As

by

the

the

regards

Decision

Switzerland,

the provisions of

2004/512/EC
constitutes a development of
the
Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement
signed
European
European Union,
Community and the Swiss Confederation, concerning
the Swiss Confederation's association with the implemen-
tation, application and development of
the Schengen
acquis which fall within the area referred to in Article
4(1) of the Council Decision 2004/860/EC (1) on the
signing, on behalf of the European Community, and on
the provisional application of certain provisions of this
Agreement.

(11)

This Decision constitutes
an act building on the
Schengen acquis or otherwise related to it within the
meaning of Article 3(2) of the Act of Accession.

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

During the development of the system, the central unit of

1.
the VIS shall be located in Strasbourg (France).

During the development of the system the back up central

2.
unit shall be located in Sankt Johann in Pongau (Austria).

Article 2

the

Federal Republic of Germany,

This Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of Belgium, the
Czech Republic,
the
Republic of Estonia, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of
Spain, the French Republic, the Italian Republic, the Republic
of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Republic of Hungary, the
the
the Kingdom of
Republic of Malta,
Republic of Austria, the Republic of Poland, the Portuguese
Republic, the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovak Republic, the
Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden.

the Netherlands,

(12)

The measures provided for
in this Decision are in
accordance with the opinion of the Committee set up
pursuant to Article 5(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No
2424/2001 of 6 December 2001 on the development of
the second-generation Schengen Information System
(SIS II) (2),

Done at Brussels, 3 November 2006.

For the Commission

Franco FRATTINI
Vice-President

(1) OJ L 370, 17.12.2004, p. 78.
(2) OJ L 328, 13.12.2001, p. 4.