Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the Development of the Second Generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) - Progress Report January 2008 – June 2008
Date: 2008-11-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, Schengen Information System, border control, exchange of information, information system, report

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 10.11.2008 
COM(2008) 710 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT 

on the Development of the Second Generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) 
Progress Report 
January 2008 – June 2008 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Project Status................................................................................................................ 3 

2.1. 

Progress during the period under review ..................................................................... 3 

2.1.1.  Global SIS II Schedule:................................................................................................ 3 

2.1.2.  Preparations for Migration: .......................................................................................... 4 

2.1.2.1.  Migration Schedule and Legal Instruments ................................................................. 4 

2.1.2.2.  Migration Schedule and Converter Specification ........................................................ 4 

2.1.3.  Network Installation:.................................................................................................... 4 

2.1.4.  Testing Central SIS II: ................................................................................................. 4 

2.1.5.  Test involving Member States: .................................................................................... 4 

2.1.5.1.  Connectivity Test (ICT) ............................................................................................... 5 

2.1.5.2.  Compliance Test (CT).................................................................................................. 5 

2.1.5.3.  Operational Systems Test (OST). ................................................................................ 5 

2.1.6.  Operational Management:............................................................................................ 6 

3. 

Management................................................................................................................. 6 

3.1. 

Project Management..................................................................................................... 6 

3.1.1.  Scheduling:................................................................................................................... 6 

3.1.2.  Risks:............................................................................................................................ 6 

3.1.3.  Project Management Board:......................................................................................... 6 

3.1.4.  Financial Management:................................................................................................ 6 

3.2. 

Meetings....................................................................................................................... 7 

3.2.1.  SIS II Committee meetings: ......................................................................................... 7 

3.2.2.  National Planning and Coordination:........................................................................... 7 

3.2.3.  Council Meetings: ........................................................................................................ 7 

4. 

Priorities for the Next Reporting Period ...................................................................... 8 

4.1. 

Testing.......................................................................................................................... 8 

4.1.1.  Provisional System Acceptance Test (PSAT):............................................................. 8 

4.1.2.  Global Test Preparations (GT):.................................................................................... 8 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

5. 

Migration Development ............................................................................................... 8 

Operational Management ............................................................................................. 8 

Security and Data Protection........................................................................................ 9 

Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 9 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

This progress report describes the work carried out by the Commission in the first semester of 
2008 on the development of the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II). It 
is  presented  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  in  accordance  with  Article  6  of 
Regulation  (EC)  No  2424/2001  of  6  December  20011  on  the  development  of  the  second 
generation  Schengen  Information  System  (SIS  II).  This  report  also  constitutes  a  status  test 
report  as  foreseen  by  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  189/2008  and  Council  Decision 
2008/173/EC on the tests of the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II).  

The SIS II Project is divided into three phases. Phase 1 was concerned with system design and 
was completed prior to this reporting period. Phase 2 deals with development and testing of 
the  Central  System  which  is  a  significant  part  of  the  current  work  load,  and  is  likely  to  be 
completed by the end of 2008. Phase 3 addresses final test and migration activities from the 
currently used SIS 1+ to SIS II. The preparatory work for migration is already underway. In 
order to provide a complete picture of the range of activities associated with the SIS II project, 
this report also addresses potential risks, financial, operational and project management. 

2. 

PROJECT STATUS 

2.1. 

Progress during the period under review 

2.1.1.  Global SIS II Schedule: 

Following  the  successful  implementation  of  SISone4ALL  and  the  subsequent  lifting  of 
borders of the new Member States, the JHA Council in February 2008 concluded that SIS II 
should  be  re-scheduled  in  such  a  way  that  the  Council  can  anticipate  the  start  of  SIS  II 
operations by September 2009. In the early months of this reporting period the Commission 
services, in very close co operation with the Member States experts and the 'Friends of SIS 
II'2, focussed on revising the SIS II schedule.  

During the preparation of this timetable, a number of open issues related to SIS II schedule 
were  identified  as  potentially  time  consuming  and  /  or  implied  other  significant  risks, 
examples include:  

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development of a converter for migration from SIS 1+ to SIS II; 

migration during the holiday season ; 

use of external contractors. 

These  and  other  issues  were  comprehensively  discussed  by  the  'Friends  of  SIS  II',  in  the 
competent preparatory bodies of the Council and at the Council Meetings of April and June 
2008. 

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OJ  L  328,  13  December  2001,  modified  by  Council  Regulation  N°  1988/2006,  OJ  L  411/1  of 
30.12.2006 (the modifications in the 2006 regulation do not concern Article 6). 
The Council established in February 2008 the Group 'Friends of SIS II' to follow the implementation of 
SIS II in the Member States. It is composed of high level representatives of Czech Republic, Germany, 
Spain,  France,  Italy,  the  Netherlands,  Austria,  Poland,  Portugal,  Slovenia,  Finland,  Sweden  and 
Norway. 

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2.1.2.  Preparations for Migration: 

2.1.2.1.  Migration Schedule and Legal Instruments 

The  Commission  (with  the  participation  of  SIS1+  countries)  will  ensure  that  the  central 
elements of SIS II and the connections with national systems will have been tested and will 
function by the end of 2008. This is the deadline for the Commission for the completion of the 
development of the central elements of SIS II. However, the SIS II project goes beyond the 
development of these central elements. In 2009 the central SIS II will be tested in its entirety 
with the national applications. 

The Commission presented the proposal for a Council Decision and a Council Regulation to 
establish the legal framework governing the migration from SIS 1+ to SIS II including final 
SIS II tests.  
The  Commission  adopted  on  the  16th  April  2008  proposals  for  the  legal  instruments  on 
migration  from  the  SIS  1+  environment  to  the  SIS  II  technical  environment  which  are 
currently discussed within the framework of the Council and of the Parliament.  

2.1.2.2.  Migration Schedule and Converter Specification 

There is consensus on the general approach for the migration from SIS 1+ to SIS II, which is 
to  perform  a  one-shot  switchover  of  the  national  systems.  However,  the  success  of 
SISone4All  requires  the  migration  of  many  more  Member  States  /  users  than  originally 
planned.  

The Council on 28 February 2008 confirmed a migration approach from SIS 1+ to SIS II that 
provides a fall-back possibility with a gradual migration to remedy unexpected problems and, 
for that purpose, invited the Commission to provide a converter, to be used for a very limited 
period of time, linking SIS 1+ and SIS II to ensure that the SIS can continue functioning in 
any  scenario.  Any  Member  State  /  user  experiencing  such  difficulties  will  be  expected  to 
rectify the situation as quickly as possible. 

2.1.3.  Network Installation: 

The SIS II project includes the provision of a wide area communications network, meeting the 
requirements  of  availability,  security,  geographical  coverage  and  level  of  service,  to  enable 
the  national  and  central  systems  to  communicate3.The  Central  Unit  (CU)  and  the  Backup 
Central  Unit  (BCU)  have  been  accessible  to  Member  States  since  end  of  2007  and  now  all 
Member States and current users have their main sites and back-up sites connected to the s-
Testa network. Switzerland connected on 3 June 2008 to the s-Testa network. 

2.1.4.  Testing Central SIS II: 

The System Solution Test (SST) was designed to verify that the Central SIS II on the central 
site  is  compliant  with  the  technical  specification.  These  tests,  conducted  without  national 
systems, were completed in December 2007, and accepted in early 2008. 

2.1.5.  Test involving Member States:  

There are currently three types of testing being undertaken with the participation of Member 
States  /  users.  The  Connectivity  Test  checks  the  ability  of  the  SIS  II  National  System  to 
connect to the SIS II Central System. The Compliance Test checks the interaction between the 
SIS II National System and the SIS II Central system separately, based on a set of pre-defined 
test  cases  agreed  with  the  Member  States.  The  national  systems  in  each  Member  State  may 

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The necessary arrangements for the use of the encryption box for SIS II have to be completed. 

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have different features e.g. (use of national copy,); therefore the set of pre defined test cases 
varies according to the MS profile. Operational System Test verifies that the Central System 
can  operate  with  a  set  of  connected  national  systems.  This  stage  of  testing  involves  actual 
Member States and users, instead of simulators. To date these tests are proceeding according 
to plan, although some adjustments to the detailed schedule had to be made. 

2.1.5.1.  Connectivity Test (ICT) 

The Connectivity Tests checks the ability of the SIS II National Systems to connect to the SIS 
II Central System. 

As of 30th June 2008 the state of play was as shown below: 

The following twenty four Member States and users had completed the Informal Connectivity 
Tests: 

AT, DE, PT, LU, EL, IT, SI, SK, IS, FI, NO, HU, NL, CZ, LT, DK, ES, CY, SE, BE, PL, EE, 
MT, LV 

The  following  five  Member  States  and  users  were  in  the  process  of  conducting  the 
Connectivity Tests: 

Eurojust, Europol, FR, IE, UK 

The following users had not yet started the Informal Connectivity Tests: 

CH 

2.1.5.2.  Compliance Test (CT)  

Compliance Test checks the interactions between the SIS II National System and the SIS II 
Central System for each national system separately, based on a set of pre-defined test cases 
agreed  with  the  Member  States.  The  national  systems  in  each  Member  State  may  have 
different features e.g. (use of national copy, handling of biometrics); therefore the set of pre 
defined test cases varies according to the MS profile. 

Eighteen Member States are currently participating in the Compliance Test: 

The first group consisting of eleven Member States ( SE, NO, PT, IT, FI, HU, EL, NL, CY, 
DE, AT) have to a large degree completed compliance testing. 

The second group consisting of the following seven Member States (DK, LT, EE, ES, IS, LU, 
LV)  have  recently  commenced  Compliance  Testing  and  those  remaining  are  scheduled  to 
commence  this  task  shortly.  The  target  completion  date  for  all  Member  States  is  October 
2008.  

2.1.5.3.  Operational Systems Test (OST). 

The Operational Systems Test (OST) tests the Central System with a set of connected national 
systems. This stage of testing involves actual Member States and users, instead of simulators. 
The objective of OST is to ensure that the Central System meets the functional and technical 
requirements  when  using  the  real  system.  The  OST  phase  commenced,  on  21st  May  2008. 
There are nine Member States / Users (AT, CY, DE, IT, NL, PT, SE, EL, NO) participating in 
OST  functional  test.  The  required  number  of  Member  States  to  conduct  this  test  phase  was 
six.  Although  the  OST  is  scheduled  to  be  completed  at  the  end  of  August  2008,  concerns 
about the stability of the central system are becoming apparent 

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2.1.6.  Operational Management:  

The  preparations  for  operational  management  remain  on  track  taking  into  account  the 
synergies  between  SIS  and  VIS  management.  Various  SIS  II  service  contracts  are  yet  to  be 
completed  with  the  national  authorities  hosting  the  main  system  (France)  and  the  business 
continuity system (Austria) for a transitional period until the long-term management of SIS II 
is established. The second contract with France concerning provision of staff at the central site 
and training of staff in SIS II operations has been signed and negotiations on the third contract 
concerning activities to be carried out by the French authorities in the run up to go-live will 
commence shortly.  

An  operational  management  steering  group  (Commission-France-Main  Development 
Contractor) was established in March 2008 and met three times during this reporting period in 
order  to  address  any  issues  that  arise  and  to  ensure  that  the  operational  management 
preparations  are  on  schedule.  A  blueprint  for  operational  management  organisation  has  also 
been commissioned – assessing the current organisational setup in Strasbourg and the desired 
organisational setup for SIS II and VIS.  

3. 

MANAGEMENT  

3.1. 

Project Management 

3.1.1. 

Scheduling: 

The complete SIS II Schedule was endorsed by the Council on 5 June 2008. 

3.1.2.  Risks: 

At  the  meeting  of  the  'Friends  of  SIS  II'  it  was  noted  that  the  schedule  contains  two  major 
risks: first, the start of the phase where all the functionalities of the central system are tested 
together with the national systems, when errors could still exist at central and national levels; 
and second, an additional version of the technical specifications is not foreseen in 2009 before 
the start of the migration phase. The Commission wholly acknowledges this risk analysis. 

3.1.3.  Project Management Board: 

In  addition  to  Commission  services  and  the  project  contractors,  representatives  of  the 
German,  Portuguese,  Slovenian  and  French  Presidencies  as  well  as  a  representative  of  the 
C.SIS  are  invited  to  participate  in  the  Project  Management  Board.  This  group  addresses 
contract  issues  and  monitors  project  deliverables  and  milestones.  This  board  met  four  times 
during the period covered by this report. 

3.1.4.  Financial Management: 

The total appropriations for SIS II activities provided for in the 2008 General Budget amount 
to €26,620,000. A financing decision with a to tal budget of € 19,000,000 for SIS II (operating 
expenditure of the Schengen Information System and other operating expenditure which may 
result  from  this  incorporation)  and  €  7,620,000  for  SIS  1+  (installation  of a communication 
infrastructure  for  SIS  1+  and  operation  and  management  of  a  communication  infrastructure 
for SIS 1+) was adopted by the Commission on 21 December 2007.  
As the budget of 7,620,000 for SIS 1+ will not be used for this activity which has been taken 
over by the Council at the beginning of 2008, the amount has been transferred to SIS II for 
additional activities requested by the Council. 
The other main components of SIS II expenditure during 2008 are preparations for operational 
management,  training  and  tools,  network,  handover  preparation  of  source  code  knowledge, 
preparations  for  operational  management  -  contracts  with  France  and  Austria,  external 

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assistance for development and quality control, changes to SIS II, studies, legal consultancy 
services, information campaign, installation, operation and management of a communication 
infrastructure for the SIS environment. 54,60 % of the total SIS II appropriations have been 
committed  and  payments  corresponding  to  27,31  %  of  payment  appropriations  have  been 
made. 

3.2.  Meetings 

The  SIS  II  project  involves  both  the  Commission  and  the  Member  States  and  can  only  be 
achieved  if  the  SIS  II  national  systems  are  developed  and  connected  on  time.  Regular 
meetings  and  reporting  mechanisms  are  fundamental  constituents  for  effective  project 
management, but progress will depend on transparent reporting of Member States about any 
problems they encounter nationally. 

3.2.1. 

SIS II Committee meetings: 

The Commission is assisted in the development of SIS II by the SIS II Committee. There were 
four meetings of the SIS II Committee in the period January – June 2008. 

In addition to regular SIS II Committee meetings, meetings with Member States’ experts are 
organised  to  discuss  detailed  technical  issues.  These  meetings  generally  focus  on  issues 
arising from specific project deliverables. 

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The "Test Advisory Group" (TAG), provides the SIS II Committee with an opinion 
on issues relating to the organisation, implementation and interpretation of tests. This 
group held twenty four meetings in this reporting period. 

The  "Change  Management  Board"  (CMB),  provides  advice  on  classification, 
qualification and the potential impact of correction of reported issues. This working 
group,  which  also  reports  to  the  SIS  II  Committee,  met  five  times  during  the 
reporting period.  

The  Migration  Working  Group,  established  by  the  SIS  II  Committee  in  October 
2007, was entrusted with the development of a coherent strategy and high level plan 
for  the  timely  preparation  and  execution  of  migration  from  SIS  1+  to  SIS  II, 
including  a  risk  analysis  and  contingency  plan.  The  mandate  for  the  Migration 
Working  Group  ended  in  December  2007.  Seven  Migration  Workshops  have  been 
held to continue the activity on this critical topic.  

3.2.2.  National Planning and Coordination: 

A  Working  Group  composed  of  the  Member  States’  national  project  managers  (NPM)  is 
organised within the framework of the SIS II Committee. The purpose of these NPM meetings 
is  to  deal  with  detailed  planning  issues,  risks  and  activities  both  at  the  central  and  national 
project levels. During this reporting period four NPM meetings have taken place. 

Member  States  have  been  asked  to  submit  monthly  reports,  with  a  view  to  providing  a 
detailed update on the state of development. There are still some Member States whose state 
of development of national system  is unknown which  may  impact  on  the  completion  of  the 
SIS  II  test.  The  January  2008  NPM  meeting  took  place  in  Strasbourg  and  Member  States' 
representatives visited the main site that will host the central SIS II. 

3.2.3.  Council Meetings: 

Commission services take part in the meetings of the Council Working parties responsible for 
the Schengen Information System, presenting them with an oral report on the progress of the 
SIS  II  project  and  the  associated  risks  on  a  monthly  basis.  The  Commission  services  also 

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provide  a  monthly  written  report  to  the  SIS  II  Committee  on  the  SIS  II  project  covering 
progress with the project and risks. 

The state of play of SIS II project was presented at the JHA Councils of 28/29 February 2008, 
17/18 April 2008 and on 05/06 June 2008 and at all meetings of the Committee Article 36 of 
the EU Treaty. 

4. 

PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT REPORTING PERIOD 

4.1. 

Testing 

Assuring all aspects of SIS II are sufficiently robust and effective requires extensive testing.  

Similar  to  this  reporting  period,  testing  will  remain  a  high  priority  in  terms  of  effort  and 
workload for the second half of 2008.  

4.1.1.  Provisional System Acceptance Test (PSAT): 

The PSAT is a contractual milestone that will lead to the Provisional Systems Acceptance of 
the Central SIS II. Its aim is to show that the SIS II can handle the load of at least 15 Member 
States with performance within agreed limits. 

The  preparations  for  the  PSAT  have  formally  started  with  a  presentation  at  the  June  NPM 
meeting  and  a  formal  meeting  with  the  member  states  held  on  18  June  2008.  In  this  last 
meeting, the preparations for the planning for the PSAT were discussed in detail with a view 
of  producing  the  necessary  documentation  and  procedures  that  will  be  required  for  the 
execution of the test. This process will carry on over the next few months and will be finalised 
in September 2008.  

4.1.2.  Global Test Preparations (GT): 

The  aim  of  the  GT  is  to  test  the  whole  of  the  SIS  II,  that  is  the  Central  and  the  National 
systems  and  applications,  to  check  whether  the  performance  is  at  least  equivalent  to  that  of 
SIS 1+. Technical discussions are under way as to how the test results can be best evaluated.  

4.2.  Migration Development 

The  development  of  the  converter  for  migration  will  take  place  during  the  next  reporting 
period. Member States have agreed to provide the key technical details of SIS 1+ to support 
this activity.  

4.3. 

Operational Management 

Negotiations  on  the  second  contract  with  Austria,  dealing  with  training  and  other  services 
before go live, and fulfilling of the Backup Central Unit Administrator profile in Salzburg by 
France will be the subject of a future meeting between the Commission, France and Austria. 

Member State experts will be consulted on the level of service they expect to be provided in 
order for the Commission to finalise arrangements well in advance of go-live date. 

Proposals  by  Main  Development  Contractor  (MDC),  on  the  IT  service  management  plan, 
covering  matters  such  as  the  required  profiles,  skills  staffing  levels  and  organisational  units 
for SIS II staff on the central sites will be submitted to the Commission in early July 2008. 

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Security and Data Protection 

4.4. 
Preparations  are  ongoing  for  a  joint  visit  of  EDPS4  staff  and  Commission  services  to  the 
Support Operation Centre for the network in Bratislava. This will take place in October 2008. 

Bilateral meetings with EDPS staff and the Commission services take place on a regular basis 
to discuss issues related to SIS II. In the coming months, the Commission will prepare for the 
EDPS inspection of the Strasbourg central facility; this is envisaged prior to the first transfer 
of personal data to the SIS II central system. 

5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The development phase of the SIS II project remains a challenging task. Tests to ensure the 
connectivity and compliance between the Central SIS II with the national SIS systems have 
commenced.  The  key  challenges  at  this  point  are  to  ensure  the  timely  development  of  the 
converter for migration and the continuation of the various testing regimes. 

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European Data Protection Supervisor 

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