Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the development of the visa information system (VIS) in 2007 (submitted in response to the obligation under Article 6 of the Council Decision No. 2004/512/EC of 8 June 2004)
Date: 2008-11-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, EU visa policy, admission of aliens, exchange of information, information system, report

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 10.11.2008 
COM(2008)714 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT 

ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VISA INFORMATION SYSTEM (VIS) IN 2007 
(submitted in response to the obligation under Article 6 of the Council Decision No. 
2004/512/EC of 8 June 2004) 

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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT 

ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VISA INFORMATION SYSTEM (VIS) IN 2007 
(submitted in response to the obligation under Article 6 of the Council Decision No. 
2004/512/EC of 8 June 2004) 

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Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the 
development of the Visa Information System (VIS) 

Progress Report January – December 2007 
(COM (2008) …) 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

Introduction...................................................................................................................4 

Project status .................................................................................................................4 

2.1. 

Progress during the period under review ......................................................................4 

2.1.1.  Legal framework for the VIS........................................................................................4 

2.1.2.  Rescheduling the VIS ...................................................................................................5 

2.1.3.  Development of Central System ...................................................................................5 

2.1.4.  Development of the Biometric Matching System.........................................................6 

2.1.5.  Site Preparations ...........................................................................................................6 

2.1.6.  Network ........................................................................................................................6 

2.1.7.  National Planning and coordination .............................................................................7 

2.1.8.  Roll-out to Consular posts ............................................................................................7 

2.2. 

Commission project management.................................................................................7 

2.2.1.  Planning and budget......................................................................................................7 

2.2.2.  Risk management..........................................................................................................8 

2.2.3.  Communication.............................................................................................................8 

2.2.4.  Project management board (PMB) ...............................................................................9 

2.3. 

SIS II Committee meetings...........................................................................................9 

3. 

Conclusions and Perspectives.......................................................................................9 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

This  is  a  report  on  the  work  carried  out  by  the  Commission  in  2007  (January  –  December 
2007)  on  the  development  of  the  Visa  Information  System  (VIS).  It  is  the  fourth  progress 
report1  presented  by  the  Commission  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  in 
accordance with Article 6 of Council Decision No. 2004/512/EC of 8 June 2004 establishing 
the Visa Information System (VIS)2. This decision provides that the Commission, assisted by 
the  SIS  II  Committee3,  is  responsible  for  developing  the  VIS,  whereas  the  national  systems 
shall be adapted and/or developed by the Member States.  

2. 

PROJECT STATUS 

2.1. 

Progress during the period under review 

The VIS Project is divided into three phases. Phase 1 (Detailed Design) has delivered all the 
documents necessary to fully describe the VIS from a technical perspective. The system will 
be developed and deployed during phase 2 (Development, Testing and Deployment). Finally, 
during phase 3 (Migration and Integration), Member States will connect their national systems 
to the VIS central database. Phase 1 of the project was closed during the previous reporting 
period  and  phase  2  is  in  progress.  The  Main  Development  Contractor  has  completed  an 
analysis of the additional system development work needed to make the VIS fully compatible 
with the proposed legal framework agreed in June 2007 and to prepare the interfacing with the 
biometric component, the Biometric Matching System (BMS). 

2.1.1.  Legal framework for the VIS 

In  June  2007,  political  agreement  was  achieved  between  the  European  Parliament  and  the 
Council  on  the  "VIS  legislative  package",  consisting  of  the  Regulation  concerning  the  Visa 
Information  System  (VIS)  and  the  exchange  of  data  between  Member  States  on  short-stay 
visas4 (VIS Regulation) and a third pillar Council Decision5. The EP plenary voted on 7 June 
2007. The Council endorsed the amendments made by the EP in the JHA Council meeting on 
12  June  2007.  The  regulation  and  decision  constitute  a  single  legislative  package.  The  VIS 
Regulation defines the purpose and functionalities of the VIS and the responsibilities for this 
system.  It  also  establishes  conditions  and  procedures  for  the  exchange  of  data  between 
Member  States  on  applications  for  short-stay  visas  and  on  the  decisions  taken  in  relation 
thereto. The data to be processed in the VIS shall include alphanumeric data, photographs and 
fingerprints of the visa applicant, in order to ensure reliable verification and identification.  

The VIS Decision concerns access for consultation of the Visa Information System (VIS) by 
designated authorities of Member States and by Europol for the purposes of the prevention, 
detection and investigation of terrorist offences and of other serious criminal offences. 

The  break-through  achieved  by  the  political  agreement  on  the  legal  framework  for  the  VIS 
provided the clarity needed to allow re-scheduling to go ahead (see 2.1.2 below). 

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For the third report, see the Commission staff working paper of 13 June 2007 on the development of the 
Visa Information System (VIS), SEC (2007) 833. 
OJ L 213 of 15.6.2004, p. 5. 
The  comitology  framework  for  both  the  SIS  II  and VIS projects  in  the  development  phase, set  up by 
virtue of Article 5 (1) of Regulation No 2424/2001 (OJ L 328, 13.12.2001, p. 4). 
PE-CONS 3630/1/07 REV1. 
Council document 13607/07. 

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2.1.2.  Rescheduling the VIS 

The original VIS schedule indicated that the VIS would go live in March 2007, but with only 
6  Member  States,  each  connecting  to  at  least  one  consulate,  without  biometrics.  This  was 
based  on  the  assumption  that  the  legal  framework  for  the  VIS  would  be  adopted  in  the 
summer of 2006. 

A technical rescheduling was prepared in September 2006 when it became clear that the go-
live  strategy  had  changed  to  a  gradual  regional  approach,  starting  in  Northern  Africa  and 
including  biometrics.  This  was  based  on  the  assumption  that  the  legal  framework  would  be 
adopted in January 2007. 

Despite  the  legal  uncertainty  at  that  time,  Commission  services  decided  to  continue 
development  of  the  VIS  on  the  basis  of  the  current  legal  proposals  and  activities  were 
scheduled until the end of 2007, but not beyond, given that development activities are largely 
dependent on requirements set out in the legal basis, on which no agreement had been reached 
at the time.  

Given  that  system  development  in  Member  States  was  stalled  by  the  same  problem, 
preparation  for  a  revised  schedule  took  place  in  close  cooperation  with  experts  from  the 
Member  States,  with  a  view  to  ensuring  that  it  was  realistic.  Workshops  regarding  the 
adoption  of  the  legal  basis  were  held  with  Member  States  in  February  and  March  2007  to 
discuss different scenarios and outstanding technical issues. The revised schedule was finally 
presented in September 2007, following discussions by the VIS National Project Managers in 
June  and  July  2007  (by  which  time  political  agreement  had  been  reached  on  the  legal 
framework) and support by the SIS II Committee.  

According to this revised schedule, taking into account all requirements of the legal basis, the 
Central  VIS  is  due  to  be  ready  for  operations  by  the  end  of  May  2009.  Key  intermediate 
milestones  include  availability  of  the  complete  Detailed  Technical  Specifications  by 
September  2008,  readiness  of  network  connections  in  OST  (Operational  System  Tests) 
Member States by late September 2008 and starting of tests involving the Member States in 
late November 2008 for completion by May 2009.  

2.1.3.  Development of the Central System 

The target was to have the central system developed and tested by the end of 2006. This was 
not possible due to the fact that political agreement had not yet been reached at that time on 
the  VIS  Regulation,  which  inter  alia  defines  the  purpose,  the  functionalities  and 
responsibilities  for  the  VIS.  At  the  start  of  2007,  there  was  no  clear  indication  of  the  likely 
timing  for  adoption.  Pending  the  political  agreement  on  the  VIS  Regulation,  reached 
subsequently, in June 2007, the Commission services decided to pursue a pro-active approach, 
continuing development of the VIS on the basis of the current proposal.  

A  number  of  key  deliverables  defining  the  system  to  be  developed  were  provided  to  the 
Member States in 20076. Revised versions of the specifications (Interface Control Document 
Version  1.62  and  Detailed  Technical  Specification  Version  1.2  delivered  in  October  and 
November  2007  respectively)  take  account  of  the  agreement  on  the  legal  proposals  and  the 
requirements for interfacing with the Biometric Matching System.  

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In  particular,  three  versions  of  the  Interface  Control  Document  (ICD)  and  the  related  CD  simulators, 
four versions of the Detailed Technical Specifications (DTS), final Detailed Functional Specifications 
and a Draft Acceptance Plan (version 1.30). 

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2.1.4.  Development of the Biometric Matching System  

The  original  VIS  development  schedule  specified  that  the  inclusion  of  the  biometric 
components  of  the  system  (the  Biometric  Matching  System  -  BMS)  would  only  take  place 
after  the  implementation  of  the  alphanumeric  part  of  the  system.  However,  on  24  February 
2005,  the  JHA  Council  requested  that  the  VIS  become  operational  with  biometric 
functionalities from the onset.  

The  Main  Development  Contractor  has  completed  an  analysis  of  the  system  development 
work  needed  to  make  the  VIS  fully  compatible  with  the  legal  framework  and  to  prepare  its 
interfacing  with  the  BMS.  This  resulted  in  the  delivery  of  the  final  Detailed  Functional 
Specifications by the end of 2007. The contract for BMS development had to be suspended 
until adequate progress had been made with VIS development. Biometric updates will have to 
be  included  in  the  next  Interface  Control  Document  for  VIS  (version  1.7).  Meanwhile, 
Member  States  have  received  software  kits  for  the  quality  check  and  a  presentation  of  the 
BMS demonstrator giving details of the biometric workflow at Consular and border posts.  

Preparations  for  subsequent  testing  (including  tools)  are  in  progress.  There  will  be  various 
phases of tests both at central level and in collaboration with the MS.  

2.1.5. 

Site Preparations 

The works for upgrading the electrical power supply for the Central VIS at the Strasbourg site 
(supported via a grant from the Commission to the French authorities) were completed on 16 
August  2007.  The  VIS  hardware  for  the  Central  Unit  in  Strasbourg  was  delivered  on  3-4 
September  2007  and  installation  was  completed  without  the  application  itself  by  the  end  of 
October 2007.  

Hardware for the Central VIS back-up site in St. Johann im Pongau, Austria was delivered at 
the  beginning  of  October  2007  and  the  installation  was  completed,  without  the  application 
itself, by mid-November 2007. 

After  the  completion  of  a  study  on  power  distribution  for  BMS  and  following  a  number  of 
intensive workshops between the local contractor and the European Commission, agreement 
was  reached  on  the  power  distribution  for  the  BMS  and  how  to  install  the  system  on  both 
sites.  

2.1.6.  Network 

The scope of the VIS project includes the provision of a wide area communications network 
between  the  National  Interface  in  each  Member  State  and  the  Central  VIS  to  allow  the 
national  and  central  systems  to  communicate.  This  network  satisfies  requirements  for 
availability, security, geographical coverage and service level. The contract for the s-TESTA 
network was awarded in 2006 to a consortium comprising OBS (Orange Business Services) 
and HP (Hewlett-Packard). 

The  network  was  initially  due  to  be  installed  in  two  waves:  firstly,  in  the  Member  States 
participating in the Operational System Tests, i.e. Germany, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Sweden, 
Slovenia,  Norway  and  Portugal  and,  secondly,  in  Member  States  participating  in  the 
Provisional  System  Acceptance  tests  (tests  on  the  central  system  in  conjunction  with  a 
significant number of national systems).  

At the end of 2007, after agreement of the revised global schedule for VIS, the Commission 
services revised the scheduling of network delivery. The network contractor agreed to install 
the network for all Member States by 30 June 2008. 

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The adoption of a Commission decision laying down the architecture and requirements of the 
National Interfaces and of the communication infrastructure between the Central VIS and the 
National Interfaces is scheduled for 2008. 

2.1.7.  National Planning and coordination 

The  state  of  progress  varies  between  the  Member  States,  due  to  different  circumstances  at 
national level. During 2007 good overall progress was made with the national projects. Very 
positive results were noted in the countries due to participate in the Operational System Tests 
(at the end of 2007, seven of the eight Member States concerned reported that they could meet 
all target dates).  

Each  month  a  Working  Group  meeting  for  the  Member  States’  National  Project  Managers 
(NPM) is organised by the Commission services in the framework of the SIS II Committee, in 
order to discuss planning issues, risks and activities at central and national project levels. The 
monthly reporting by Member States for these meetings has enhanced the quality, consistency 
and  usefulness  of  the  information  available  on  their  national  projects.  In  September  2007, 
after  approval  of  the  revised  schedule  for  VIS,  the  Commission  services  adapted  the  key 
milestones in the monthly reporting form and re-launched the reporting exercise. The majority 
of  Member  States  are  now  reporting  via  this  new  system.  Meanwhile,  the  Commission 
services  have  also  received  information  on  progress  at  national  level  in  countries  that  will 
fully apply the Schengen acquis at a later stage7. 

2.1.8.  Roll-out to Consular posts 

According  to  Article  48(1)  of  the  draft  VIS  Regulation,  biometric  data  should  be  collected 
from  the  start  of  operation  of  the  VIS.  In  continuing  preparation  for  this  roll-out,  a  second 
pilot  project  for  the  capture,  storage  and  verification  of  biometric  data  from  visa  applicants 
(BIODEV II), led by the French and Belgian administration, but incorporating several other 
Member States, continued in 2007. Both BIODEV and BIODEV II intend to demonstrate how 
to facilitate the implementation of the VIS at Member States’ consulates and border crossings 
through  the  establishment  of  common  enrolment  facilities  or  other  consular  cooperation 
initiatives. The findings of BIODEV were released to Member States at the end of the current 
reporting period and additional findings of BIODEV II are due to be presented in 2008. 

2.2. 

Commission project management 

2.2.1.  Planning and budget 

Commitment appropriations in the 2007 general budget amounted to € 32 million. The main 
components  of  expenditure  during  2007  were  site  preparation,  the  network,  preparation  of 
biometrics  (additional  features),  security  audit,  external  assistance  for  project  management, 
audit and evaluation, running costs for the development phase, studies and changes to the VIS 
(due to developments with the legal texts). 73.35% of the total VIS appropriations had been 
committed and 69.30% of payment appropriations had been paid by the end of the reporting 
period.  The  delay  in  agreement  on  the  legal  framework  triggered  a  delay  with  certain 
commitments.  These  developments  also  subsequently  impacted  on  the  implementation  of 
certain  payment  appropriations  in  2007.  Commitment  appropriations  of  €  20  million  have 
been secured for the next reporting period. 

Commitment and Payment appropriations 2007 

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Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania and Switzerland 

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Available 
commitment 
appropriations 

Consumed 

Total %  Available 
payment 
appropriations 

Consumed* 

Total % 

€27,258,110.14 

€19,994,843.72  73.35 %  20, 023,656.59 

13,875,607.13  69.30 % 

2.2.2.  Risk management  

In accordance with best practice, the project risks are identified, assessed and monitored on 
an ongoing basis within three risk logs. The main development contractor assesses risks for 
activities  within  the  scope  of  its  contract  (development  of  the  central  system,  provision  of 
support and training). The Member States monitor risks relating to their national projects. The 
Commission services also assess the global project risks, comprising, for example, the tasks 
of the main development contractor, the national projects, procurement of network services, 
preparation  of  the  operational  sites  and  adoption  of  the  legal  instruments.  The  Commission 
discusses risks with the Member States on a regular basis during the national project meetings 
and  the  Project  Management  Boards  with  the  past,  current  and  future  presidencies  of  the 
Council (see 2.2.4).  

The Project Support Office (PSO), led by the Customer Assistance contractor, was set up at 
the end of 2006 under the supervision of the Commission to assist the VIS project team with 
following up risks, actions and coordination of communication between various stakeholders. 
The PSO began operations in 2007. 

During the reporting period, the overall risk level fell significantly, due to the agreement on 
stable  legal  proposals  and  the  rescheduling.  The  main  current  risks  concern  the  duration  of 
system development, the availability of the network, the testing activities, the availability of 
resources,  the  remaining  legislative  work  and  the  security  documentation.  The  most 
significant  risk  at  the  moment  concerns  the  timely  completion  of  the  system  development. 
One  key  risk  concerns  the  possibility  that  the  network  provider  may  not  install  the  central 
network interface  as  planned. In  the  area of testing, there is a risk  that insufficient  Member 
States will be ready on time for certain tests on the central system to be carried out with their 
involvement (OST & PSAT). There is also a risk that approval of the document describing the 
Test Design will take longer than foreseen. There are significant risks concerning availability 
of  adequate  financial  and  human  resources  (for  various  reasons  including  a  potential  SIS  II 
delay, preventing transfer of staff from SIS II to the VIS project, difficulty to find specialised 
staff  in  case  of  staff  turnover  and  potential  inability  of  the  main  development  contractor  to 
finalize  development  within  the  agreed  time  frame.  Further  delays  concerning  the  formal 
adoption  of  the  VIS  Regulation  will  pose  a  serious  risk  in  the  Comitology  work  to  be 
completed  before  the  entry  into  operation.  In  addition,  a  late  adoption  of  the  amended 
Common Consular Instructions (CCI) and the amended Schengen Borders Code may pose a 
risk on the finalisation of the system development. In the area of security, there is a risk that 
the final versions of certain documents (other than the security target) may not be available in 
time. Action plans are in place to address all key risks.  

2.2.3.  Communication 

The  Commission  services  report  regularly  on  the  status  of  the  VIS  central  project  to  the 
Member  States  in  SIS  II  Committee  meetings  and  VIS  Working  Group  meetings. 
Furthermore, as mentioned above, Member States provide monthly updates on progress with 
their national projects.  

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Finally,  the  good  practice  of  bilateral  meetings  between  National  Project  Managers  and  the 
Commission's  technical  VIS  team  continued  in  2007,  allowing  Member  States  to  discuss  in 
further  detail  progress  with  their  specific  national  project  and  with  the  central  project  and 
other issues of particular concern to them.  

During the reporting period, there were eleven one-day combined National Project Manager 
and Working Group meetings and two one-day National Project Managers' meetings. 

2.2.4.  Project management board (PMB) 

The  VIS  Project  Management  Board  was  established  in  2004.  Since  2005  it  includes 
representatives  from  the  countries  holding  the  current  Council  Presidency,  all  preceding 
presidencies since its establishment and the two forthcoming presidencies, in order to ensure 
continuity  of  Member  States'  involvement  in  the  project.  During  the  reporting  period,  this 
board  met  eight  times  to  discuss  project  management  issues  with  project  stakeholders,  the 
main development contractor and the quality assurance contractor. 

2.3. 

SIS II Committee meetings 

There were eleven meetings of the SIS II Committee during the period under report, during 
which progress with the development of the VIS project was discussed. 

In addition to regular SIS II Committee meetings, VIS working groups composed of Member 
States’  experts  are  organised  by  Commission  services  to  discuss  detailed  technical  issues. 
These  meetings  generally  focused  on  issues  of  concern  to  the  Member  States  and  issues 
arising from specific project deliverables. The Commission, the Member States and the main 
development  contractor  gave  presentations  on  the  issues  of  concern  to  Member  States. 
Workshop sessions were also organised, in order to have closer contact with and greater input 
from the Member States. In addition, informal meetings with National Project Managers were 
organised, in order to discuss the new schedule of the VIS project. 

3. 

CONCLUSIONS AND PERSPECTIVES 

2007 was characterised by the political agreement on the legal framework which allowed the 
rescheduling  of  the  project  and  clarification  of  the  development  work  needed  for 
incorporation  of  the  BMS  into  the  VIS.  The  political  agreement  on  the  legal  framework  in 
mid-2007  enabled  good  progress  to  be  made  with  development,  building  on  the  pro-active 
work carried out in the first half of the year on the basis of the previous versions of the legal 
proposals.  At  the  end  of  the  reporting  period,  the  project  remained  fully  on  track  with  the 
revised  schedule  finalized  in  September  2007.  With  regard  to  financial  matters,  certain 
commitments were suspended in the first half of the year, pending the political agreement on 
the legal framework in June 2007. From that time onwards, efforts were made to move ahead 
as  efficiently  and  effectively  as  possible  with  financial  implementation.  This  resulted  in 
positive year end figures for both commitments and payments. Communication with Member 
States  remained  excellent  and  relationships  were  strengthened  within  the  working  group 
meetings.  

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