REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL PROGRESS REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECOND GENERATION SCHENGEN INFORMATION SYSTEM (SIS II) July 2011 - December 2011
Date: 2012-06-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, Schengen Information System, border control, exchange of information

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 22.6.2012  
COM(2012) 334 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

PROGRESS REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECOND GENERATION 
SCHENGEN INFORMATION SYSTEM (SIS II)   
July 2011 - December 2011 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

2.3. 

2.4. 

2.5. 

2.6. 

2.7. 

2.8. 

3. 

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

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

Overview of progress during the period under review................................................. 3 

Technical framework for finalising the project............................................................ 4 

Preparations for the second Milestone Test ................................................................. 5 

Preparations for the Comprehensive Test .................................................................... 5 

Preparations for migration............................................................................................ 6 

SIS II network .............................................................................................................. 6 

Operational management ............................................................................................. 6 

Security ........................................................................................................................ 6 

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

3.1. 

Financial aspects .......................................................................................................... 6 

3.2.1.  Global Programme Management Board (GPMB)........................................................ 6 

3.2.2.  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II) ........................................................................................ 6 

3.2.3.  National planning and coordination ............................................................................. 6 

3.2.4.  Council ......................................................................................................................... 6 

3.2.5.  European Parliament .................................................................................................... 6 

4. 

5. 

Priorities for the next reporting period......................................................................... 6 

Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 11 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION  

This  progress  report  describes  the  work  carried  out  in  the  second  semester  of  2011, 
concerning the development of the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) 
and preparations for migration from SIS 1+ to SIS II. It is presented to the Council and the 
European  Parliament  in  accordance  with  Article  18  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 
1104/2008 of 24 October 20081 and of Council Decision 2008/839/JHA of 24 October 20082 
on migration from the Schengen Information System (SIS 1+) to the SIS II. 

2. 

PROJECT STATUS  

2.1. Overview of progress during the period under review 

The end of 2010 and the first half of 2011 witnessed considerable activity at both Central SIS 
II and Member State levels with the implementation of the final technical specifications that 
govern the interaction of the central system and the national systems. This was a pre-requisite 
for  finalising  the  technical  development  of  the  project.  The  second  semester  of  2011  saw 
steady progress on the intensive testing of the coherence between the central and the national 
systems.  

As  in  any  other  IT  project  of  similar  nature,  such  intensive  testing  identified  a  number  of 
issues both at central and national levels. The sources of the issues related to three key areas: 

(i)  at  national  level,  several  Member  States  experienced  issues  or  delays  during  the 
performance of their Compliance Tests Extended (CTE). In order to accommodate additional 
testing time or late starts in carrying out CTE, the schedule for these tests had to be extended; 

(ii)  at  central  level,  the  performance  of  the  Central  System  Qualification  Tests  (CSQT) 
without Member States took longer that initially planned. The impact on the Global Schedule 
was however absorbed shortly after; 

(iii) the unavailability of sufficient resources for the SIS II project at the French Data Centre 
in Strasbourg (C.SIS) triggered lengthy discussions on the timely preparation and validation 
of the SIS 1+ test tools which had been described in the Council Conclusions of 4 June 2009, 
in relation to the performance of the second Milestone Test. This matter caused concern as it 
could result in either a delay in the overall schedule that could not be mitigated or the need for 
renouncing the SIS 1+ tools. 

In  order  to  address  these  issues,  the  Commission  worked  together  with  experts  from  the 
Member States within both the Global Programme Management Board (GPMB) and SIS-VIS 
Committee  to  identify  the  mitigation  solution  that  would  allow,  inter  alia,  the  project 

1 

2 

Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1104/2008  of  24  October  2008  on  migration  from  the  Schengen 
Information  System  (SIS  1+)  to  the  second  generation  Schengen  Information  System  (SIS  II)  (OJ  L 
299, 8.11.2008, p. 1). 
Council  Decision  2008/839/JHA  of  24  October  2008  on  migration  from  the  Schengen  Information 
System (SIS 1+) to the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) (OJ L 299, 8.11.2008, 
p. 43). 

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stakeholders  to  maintain  the  go-live  date  in  the  first  quarter  of  2013.  A  wide  majority  of 
Member States supported this mitigation solution. 

2.2. Technical framework for finalising the project 

Tests 

By this reporting period, the SIS II project reached a stage where a series of thorough testing 
campaigns could be carried out to prove the stability, proper functioning and performance of 
both the national and central systems. The approach consists of testing the national and central 
systems' components first separately (during this reporting period), and then together (starting 
in the following reporting period). 

Following  the  implementation  of  the  necessary  technical  updates  at  national  level,  Member 
States began verifying the compliance of the national systems with the SIS II specifications 
during the CTE phase. As the performance of this test phase was slower than envisaged in the 
Global  Schedule,  further  national  testing  will  be  carried  out  in  2012.  Moreover,  contractual 
and technical problems at national level prevented two Member States from starting their tests 
in 2011. In order to address these delays, the Commission initiated dynamic management of 
testing  slots,  by  allocating  testing  environments  to  Member  States  as  soon  as  they  became 
available. Whilst, by the end of 2011 the delay in CTE testing was not considered to be on the 
critical path for project delivery, all Member States must finalise their CTE campaigns by 24 
May 2012 so as to allow the Comprehensive Test to start in accordance with the timeframe 
provided in the Global Schedule.  

During the same period, qualification tests (CSQT without MS) were scheduled to take place 
at  central  level.  This  test  campaign  was  due  by  the  end  of  September  but  was  re-scheduled 
and finished by 14 December 2011. The delay was caused by a problem with the link between 
the  Central  Unit  (CU)  and  the  Back-up  Central  Unit  (BCU),  which  was  slowing  down  the 
synchronisation  and  exchange  of  data  between  the  two  units  and  caused  deterioration  in 
performance. Technical adaptations were necessary in order to overcome this difficulty. The 
adaptations guaranteed that the BCU contained the same data as the CU, in case of a failure in 
the  CU.  The  nature  of  these  adaptations  did  not  change  any  of  the  system's  technical 
requirements, including those related to availability, resilience and performance of the system 
and did not have any impact on national systems.  

The subsequent phase consists of carrying out further central system qualification tests with 
the  participation  of  a  number  of  Member  States  (CSQT  with  Member  States),  this  being 
planned to commence on 16 January 2012 and to run throughout the first quarter of 2012. All 
eight  participating  Member  States  made  good  progress  in  their  compliance  tests  (a  pre-
requisite  to  enter  the  subsequent  testing  phase)  to  the  degree  that  there  were  no  concerns 
regarding the possibility of starting the CSQT with Member States on time. 

The impact of the delays at both Member States and central levels, as described above, was 
already absorbed within the project schedule. The Commission, together with the Presidency 
and  the  GPMB,  identified  ways  to  mitigate,  absorb  or  compensate  for  these  delays  so  as  to 
ensure that the go-live date for SIS II would remain unchanged. 

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2.3. Preparations for the second Milestone Test 

Substantial  preparatory  activity  for  the  second  Milestone  Test  took  place  in  several  work-
streams.  In  particular,  the  target  date  for  the  reference  document  detailing  the  relevant  test 
cases was set for early 2012. With regard to the validation of test results, and pursuant to the 
June 2009 Council Conclusions, in May 2011, the relevant Council Working Party mandated 
the  SIS  1+  contractors  and  the  French  authorities  to  undertake  the  necessary  work  towards 
ensuring the validation and availability of the C.SIS measurement tools for the test.  

In the course of September 2011, France (C.SIS) and the SIS 1+ contractors announced in the 
Working  Party  that  they  would  not  be  able  to  validate  or  operate  the  tools  for  the  second 
Milestone Test within the scope and timeline set out in the Global Schedule. The Presidency 
and the Commission organised several technical meetings with C.SIS and SIS 1+ contractors 
to work out concrete solutions and the matter was further discussed at Council Working Party 
level.  

Faced  with  the  unavailability  of  the  SIS  1+  tools,  Commission  and  Member  States'  experts 
analysed all possible solutions. A vast majority converged towards the option based on the use 
of  the  available  SIS  II  tools  (i.e.  the  two  testing  tools  that  were  developed  for  the  SIS  II 
project by the Commission's main development contractor and quality assurance contractor). 
It should be stressed that these SIS II tools were also explicitly mentioned in the June 2009 
Council Conclusions, alongside the SIS 1+ tools, and were already used during the successful 
first  Milestone  Test.  Moreover,  this  solution  also  foresaw  that  upcoming  testing  phases  and 
activities would be rearranged so as to allow the completion of national testing by May 2012 
and the start of the second Milestone Test in April 2012.  

This  was  the  solution  that  would  best  preserve  the  shared  objectives  of  the  project: 
undertaking  credible  testing  campaigns,  maintaining  the  go-live  date  in  the  first  quarter  of 
2013  and  avoiding  a  negative  impact  on  SIS  1+  by  easing  the  pressure  on  resources  within 
C.SIS. It received the support of a large majority of delegations in the SIS-VIS Committee of 
7 November 2011.  

However,  taking  into  consideration  the  concerns  that  continued  to  be  expressed  by  some 
Member  States,  at  the  JHA  Council  on  13  December  2011,  the  Commission  aimed  to 
reinforce  the  common  interest  in  a  credible  second  Milestone  Test  by  inviting  any  Member 
State still having doubts on the specifications and reliability of the SIS II tools to participate 
in their validation. 

Notwithstanding this, the test tools developed by France for SIS 1+ can be retained for later 
testing if they become available.  

2.4. Preparations for the Comprehensive Test 

The  migration  legal  instruments  describe  the  Comprehensive  Test3  as  confirming,  in 
particular, the completion by the Commission and the Member States participating in SIS 1+ 
of the necessary technical arrangements to process SIS II data and the demonstration that the 
level of performance of SIS II is at least equivalent to that achieved with SIS 1+. 

3 

Common Article 8 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1104/2008 and of Council Decision 2008/839/JHA. 

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Accordingly, the reporting period saw considerable discussion on the matter and marked the 
beginning of the preparation of the plan for the Comprehensive Test. This will be thoroughly 
reviewed  and  refined  in  the  first  semester  of  2012,  with  a  view  to  the  Comprehensive  Test 
taking place in the second semester of 2012, prior to the activities dedicated to migration.  

2.5. Preparations for migration 

Testing the converter 

In  order  to  successfully  perform  the  migration  from  SIS  1+  to  SIS  II  an  interim  migration 
architecture will be put in place. This will include a converter designed to convert data in two 
directions between the current C.SIS and central SIS II and keep both systems synchronised 
for the period of time required for Member States to move from one system to the other4.  

Such a key component of the migration architecture requires significant testing. In order for 
this  to  take  place  a  SIS  1+  test  environment  was  required.  Given  C.SIS  inability  to  provide 
such  an  environment,  as  initially  foreseen,  a  new  environment  had  to  be  purchased  by  the 
Commission and a number of tests had to be completed and validated.  

With  regards  to  the  converter  itself,  it  passed  Factory  Acceptance  Tests  in  October  2011. 
After  this  acceptance,  the  converter  was  deployed  to  Strasbourg  and  tested  against  SIS  II 
(System Solution Testing – SIS II) in anticipation of further testing with SIS 1+. Additionally 
the Commission installed and tested the necessary SIS 1+ communication components in the 
converter  itself,  a  required  step  prior  to  linking  the  converter  to  SIS  1+.  Preparations  were 
made to connect the converter to the test environment for the start of 2012.  

In the first half of 2012, the converter will be tested against SIS 1+ (Qualification Tests), with 
a view to testing the converter against both systems at the same time in the summer of 2012. 
This  work  is  the  precursor  to  carrying  out  rehearsals  with  the  Member  States.  Following 
rehearsals, the next step will be live data migration from SIS 1 to SIS II early in 2013. 

Planning the migration 

On  23  February  2011,  the  SIS-VIS  Committee  delivered  a  favourable  opinion  on  three 
important documents paving the way for the migration activities, namely the SIS II Migration 
Plan, Test Strategy and Test Plan. 

Of  these,  the  Migration  Plan  is  designed  to  meet  the  technical  needs  of  Member  States  by 
reflecting  their  favoured  technical  approach.  This  approach  was  not  fully  in  line  with  the 
migration  legal  instruments.  The  Commission  intends  to  propose,  in  early  2012,  an 
amendment  to  the  legal  framework,  with  a  view  to  aligning  the  legal  provisions  with  this 
technical approach.  

There is still a heavy responsibility on the Member States to ensure that attention is given to 
the  issue  of  data  quality.  Indeed,  only  data  meeting  the  data  quality  rules  of  SIS  1+  can  be 
migrated  to  SIS  II.  Data  which  are  not  compliant  with  SIS  1+  data  quality  rules  must  be 
"cleansed" prior to the switchover to SIS II as they cannot be transferred in a non-compliant 

4 

Common  Article  10  (3)  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1104/2008  of  24.10.2008  and  of  Council 
Decision 2008/839/JHA of 24.10.2008. 

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format. The Polish Presidency made data cleansing a priority for the second half of 2011. A 
dedicated meeting demonstrated the approaches that several Member States had taken to this 
important activity. 

The Commission is working closely with the Member States in writing the Migration Manual, 
a document setting out in detail the steps which had been outlined in the Migration Plan. The 
Manual will define roles and responsibilities throughout the process and describe the detailed 
schedule for the migration of real SIS data. This task, which commenced in December 2011, 
must be finalised by the end of 2012.  

At Working Party meetings, Member States raised the issue of SIRENE migration. This is the 
change  from  the  Member  States'  existing  SIS  1+  SIRENE  Bureaux  systems  to  their  new 
SIS II  SIRENE  systems.  The  migration  legal  instruments  provide  that  the  Member  States 
participating in SIS 1+ shall conduct a test on supplementary information (functional SIRENE 
tests)5.  The  Commission  supported  Member  States  in  their  preparations  to  review  the 
technical  specifications  of  data  exchange  between  the  SIRENE  Bureaux,  an  activity  to  take 
place in the first half of 2012. 

2.6. SIS II network  

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 central and national systems to communicate. 

For  operational  purposes  Member  States  have  both  main  and  back-up  interfaces  with  the 
network.  During  the  reporting  period,  a  number  of  Member  States'  back-up  interfaces  were 
reactivated in order to prepare for tests involving switching between main and back-up sites. 
This reactivation process is to continue into 2012. 

The SIS II basic legal instruments describe the communication infrastructure dedicated to SIS 
II  data  and  the  exchange  of  data  between  SIRENE  Bureaux6.  Following  the  Member  States 
confirmation of the technical specifications of the SIS II SIRENE mail relay, the Commission 
finalised the procurement procedures. The mail relay will be installed in the first half of 2012, 
in anticipation of the Member States' test on supplementary information. 

2.7. Operational management 

Following joint statements of the Council and the European Parliament when adopting the SIS 
II and VIS legal instruments, in June 2009 the Commission proposed to set up an Agency for 
the  operational  management  of  large-scale  IT  systems  in  the  area  of  freedom,  security  and 
justice. The Regulation establishing the Agency was adopted on 25 October 20117.  

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Common  Article  9  (1)  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1104/2008  and  of  Council  Decision 
2008/839/JHA. 
Common Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
20  December  2006  on  the  establishment,  operation  and  use  of  the  second  generation  Schengen 
Information System (SIS II) (OJ L 381, 28.12.2006, p. 4) and of Council Decision 2007/533/JHA of 12 
June  2007  on  the  establishment,  operation  and  use  of  the  second  generation  Schengen  Information 
System (SIS II) (OJ L 205, 7.8.2007, p. 63). 
Regulation  (EU)  No  1077/2011  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  25  October  2011 
establishing a European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of 
freedom, security and justice (OJ L 286, 1.11.2011, p.1)  

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The  Agency  will  take  up  its  responsibilities  as  regards  the  operational  management  of  VIS 
and EURODAC on 1 December 2012, whilst, with regard to the operational management of 
SIS II, it will do so once this system is brought into operation. In future, the Agency could 
also be entrusted with other large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice 
if so provided by the relevant legislative instruments. 

2.8. Security  

The study on additional network security for SIS II was presented to the SIS-VIS Committee 
in the previous reporting period. A technical solution, complying with all requirements, was 
identified  and  a  pilot  project  subsequently  commenced.  The  necessary  equipment  was 
purchased  and  a  first  phase  was  run  between  October  and  December  2011  in  a  controlled 
environment. All technical options for the deployment of a solution were validated. The next 
step of the pilot project will be to perform a further test, for which the participation of three 
volunteer Member States will be needed. Germany and Austria have already put themselves 
forward  to  participate  and  a  further  volunteer  is  sought.  The  goal  is  success  during  the 
security audit of the system, due to take place in the summer of 2012. 

3. 

MANAGEMENT  

3.1. Financial aspects  

SIS II budget 

By the end of the reporting period, the total budgetary commitments made by the Commission 
on the SIS II project since 2002, amounted to EUR 148 283 233. The corresponding contracts 
include  feasibility  studies,  the  development  of  the  Central  SIS  II  itself,  support  and  quality 
assurance,  the  SIS  II  network,  preparation  for  operational  management  in  Strasbourg, 
security, biometrics preparations, communication and experts' mission expenses. 

Of  this  amount,  EUR 95  414  354  had  actually  been  paid  between  2002  and  the  end  of 
December  2011.  The  main  expenditure  items  were  development  (EUR 52  336  641),  the 
network (EUR 24 983 117), support and quality assurance (EUR 9 492 497) and preparation 
for operational management in Strasbourg and Sankt Johann im Pongau (EUR 7 077 303). 

Budget execution 

From 2002 to December 2011 

From July to December 2011 

(EUR) 

Commitments 

Payments 

Commitments 

Payments 

Development 
(HP/Stéria) 

80 593 047

51 072 141

134 184 

16 204 913

Development (Atos) 

3 535 041

1 264 500

3 535 041 

1 264 500

Support  & 
assurance 

quality 

13 092 269

9 492 497

2 129 015 

900 319

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Network 

38 526 008

24 983 117

6 150 053 

3 462 496

8 965 894

7 077 303

1 290 179 

841 246

Operational 
management preparation 

Security 

Studies / Consultancy 

Information Campaign 

1 358 310

961 131

33 373

217 712

942 261

33 373

Experts 
Expenses 

Others 

Mission 

1 203 286

316 577

14 874

14 874

4 027 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0

0

0

79 711

0

TOTAL:

148 283 233

95 414 354

13 242 499 

22 753 185

Additional financing for Member States' national development 

The  October  2010  Council  urged  the  Commission  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements  to 
make the European External Borders Fund (EBF) available to the Member States to support 
the completion of national system developments. 

Accordingly,  a  significant  reallocation  of  resources  towards  SIS  II  national  projects  was 
undertaken within the framework of the 2011 programming for the EBF. In most cases, it was 
possible to accommodate the extra financial needs related to SIS II in the annual programmes 
for  2011.  However,  this  was  not  possible  for  eight  Member  States  either  because  of  the 
limited size of their EBF allocations and/or by the need to cover other pressing, and equally 
strategic, priorities in their annual programmes. It was therefore decided to meet these needs 
from the Community Actions part of the EBF.  

By the end of 2011, all grant agreements had been signed by the Commission and the Member 
States  concerned  and  an  advance  payment  of  75%  of  each  grant  had  been  made  to  the 
respective Member State. 

3.2. Project management  

3.2.1. Global Programme Management Board (GPMB) 

The  amendments  to  the  migration  legal  instruments  adopted  on  3  June  2010  formalised  the 
GPMB as an advisory body for assistance to the central SIS II project to facilitate consistency 
between central and national SIS II projects8. The GPMB has neither decision-making power 
nor any mandate to represent the Commission or Member States. 

8 

Council  Regulation  (EU)  No  541/2010  of  3  June  2010  amending  Regulation  (EC)  No  1104/2008  on 
migration  from  the  Schengen  Information  System  (SIS  1+)  to  the  second  generation  Schengen 
Information System (SIS II) (OJ L 155, 22.6.2010, p. 19) and Council Regulation (EU) No 542/2010 of 
3  June  2010  amending  Decision  2008/839/JHA  on  migration  from  the  Schengen  Information  System 

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The GPMB met 20 times during the period covered by this report.  

3.2.2. SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II) 

The Commission is assisted in the development of SIS II by the SIS-VIS Committee. There 
were five meetings of the SIS-VIS Committee on SIS II technical matters in the period July – 
December 2011. Several key approvals were achieved on migration and testing.  

In  addition  to  regular  SIS-VIS  Committee  meetings,  working  groups  of  the  Committee  and 
workshops,  involving  Member  States'  experts,  are  organised  to  discuss  detailed  technical 
issues. These meetings generally focus on issues arising from specific project deliverables: 

•  The  Test  Advisory  Group  (TAG),  provides  the  SIS-VIS  Committee  with  an 
opinion on issues related to the organisation, implementation and interpretation of 
tests. This group held 23 meetings in the reporting period. 

•  The  Change  Management  Board  (CMB),  provides  advice  on  classification, 
qualification and the potential impact of correction of reported issues. Due to the 
amount of effort expended on agreeing the updated technical specifications of the 
central  system  in  2010-11  and  the  subsequent  stabilisation  of  requirements,  this 
working  group,  which  also  reports  to  the  SIS-VIS  Committee,  was  not  formally 
convened  during  the  reporting  period;  neither  were  any  SIS  II  Migration 
Workshops/meetings held during this period. 

3.2.3. National planning and coordination 

A  working  group  composed  of  the  Member  States'  national  project  managers  (NPM)  is 
organised  to  advise  the  Commission  project  team.  The  purpose  of  the  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 took place. 

3.2.4. Council  

Overall  a  positive  and  cooperative  atmosphere  characterised  the  meetings  in  the  Council. 
Given  the  very  technical  nature  of  the  project,  the  Commission  paid  particular  attention  to 
transparency,  for  example  through  the  provision  of  a  detailed  letter  to  the  Presidency  in 
November  2011.  On  subjects  where  Member  States  sought  additional  clarification,  the 
Commission held bilateral meetings in order to ensure that a common base of understanding 
is  achieved.  This  is  also  pursued  through  the  Council's  SIS  II  Task  Force,  of  which  the 
Commission is a member, which provides an overview of preparations at Member State level 
to the Council. Additionally, the Member States recognised the need to review a key technical 
document on data exchange between SIRENE Bureaux and to establish a structure to plan and 
manage the SIRENE functional tests. Ad hoc groups were established accordingly, with the 
Commission being invited to both. 

As expressed in Council Conclusions and in line with the wishes of all parties in the project to 
maintain  complete  transparency,  the  Commission  keeps  the  Council  informed,  regularly,  on 
the implementation of the Global Schedule for SIS II and expenditure on the central project. 

(SIS 1+) to the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) (OJ L 155, 22.6.2010, p. 23) 
introducing an Article 17a into the migration legal instruments. 

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The  Commission  takes  part  in  the  meetings  of  the  preparatory  bodies  of  the  Council 
responsible  for  the  Schengen  Information  System  and  of  each  Council  of  Ministers  session 
where SIS II is included on the agenda. The Commission has presented reports on the state of 
play of the SIS II project and the next steps envisaged. 

The  Commission  circulates  a  weekly  flash  report,  summarising  technical  developments,  to 
colleagues engaged in the project at national level. 

3.2.5. European Parliament 

At  the  end  of  2011,  the  European  Parliament  decided  to  put  into  the  reserve  part  of  the 
appropriations  for  the  SIS  II  project  in  the  EU  General  Budget.  The  Commission  keeps  the 
European  Parliament  informed  on  the  state  of  play  of  SIS  II.  In  addition  to  fulfilling  the 
reporting obligations provided by the SIS II legal instruments9, the Commission provided the 
European Parliament with further information on financial, contractual and scheduling matters 
and  the  status  of  the  project  in  the  context  of  the  discussions  on  the  release  of  SIS  II 
appropriations  for  2011  from  the  reserve.  Finally,  the  Commission  responded  to  seven 
parliamentary questions on SIS related matters. 

4. 

PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT REPORTING PERIOD  

During  the  next  reporting  period,  January  to  end-June  2012,  there  will  be  seven  principal 
areas of activity: 

•  the finalisation of CTE testing at national level; 

•  the finalisation of CSQT with Member States; 

•  the  preparation  for  and  the  carrying  out  of  the  Provisional  System  Acceptance 

Tests (PSAT); 

•  the preparation for and the carrying out of the second Milestone Test; 

•  the preparation for the Comprehensive Test; 

•  the pilot project on security and preparation for the subsequent test and audit;  

•  the  installation  of  the  SIS  II  SIRENE  mail  relay  in  anticipation  of  the  Member 

States' test on supplementary information. 

5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

As is to be expected during a period of intensive testing, issues were found which had to be 
resolved in relation to both the central and national systems. However, through a cooperative 
and  pragmatic  working  style,  these  issues  were  addressed  and  solved  and  the  SIS  II  project 
remains  on  track.  These  actions  provided  the  foundations  for  a  series  of  critical  tests  to  be 

9 

Common Article 18 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1104/2008 and of Council Decision 2008/839/JHA. 

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carried  out  throughout  2012,  namely  the  PSAT,  the  second  Milestone  Test  and  the 
Comprehensive Test.  

At  national  level,  Member  States  will,  during  the  first  semester  of  2012,  continue  to  ensure 
that they can make use of the installation of the new SIRENE mail relay for the test on the 
exchange of supplementary information between Member States. 

The  Commission  and  Member  States  will  continue  to  work  together  to  ensure  that  SIS  II 
complies with the requirements of the security audit, due in the summer of 2012. 

Finally, on the basis of tests on the converter which have already been carried out, preparation 
for migration between SIS 1+ and SIS II will continue. 

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Annex I 

SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II) and Working Group Meetings 

Meetings held during the reporting period  

JULY 2011 

12, 19, 25  SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

18  SIS II Migration Workshop  

26  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

26  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting) 

11  SIS II Test Strategy Workshop 

4, 18, 25  SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

AUGUST 2011 

2, 9, 22  SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

23  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

23  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting) 

1, 15, 22  SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

2, 9, 16, 22, 30  SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

SEPTEMBER 2011 

23  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting) 

23  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

29  SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

22  SIS II Workshop on Compliance Test (Extended) TDDs 

24  SIS II Migration Workshop 

OCTOBER 2011 

6, 13, 27  SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

5, 12, 19, 26  SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

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NOVEMBER 2011 

10, 18, 24  SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

25  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting) 

25  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

17  SIS II Migration meeting 

12, 17, 24, 31  SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

DECEMBER 2011 

1, 8, 15, 28  SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

23  SIS II CTE Workshop 

29  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting) 

29  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

7, 14, 21  SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II) and Working Group Meetings 

b) Meetings provisionally scheduled during the forthcoming reporting period 

JANUARY 2012 

6, 12, 19, 27 

 SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

20  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting) 

20  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

5, 12, 19, 26  

SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

14  SIS II M2 Test Preparation Meeting 

FEBRUARY 2012 

10, 23  SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

2 , 9 , 16 , 23 , 

SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

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30  

MARCH 2012 

7 , 14 , 21 , 28   SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

21  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting)) 

21  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

6 , 13 , 20 , 27   SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

APRIL 2012  

5 , 19 , 26   SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

24  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting)) 

24  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

4 , 11 , 18 , 25   SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

MAY 2012 

9 , 16 , 23 ,   SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

23  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting)) 

23  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

8 , 15 , 22 , 29   SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

JUNE 2012 

7 , 14 , 21   SIS II Global Programme Management Board 

21  SIS-VIS Committee (SIS II Technical Formation Meeting)) 

21  SIS II National Project Managers' Meeting 

6 , 13 , 20   SIS II TAG meeting (Test Advisory Group) 

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