The existing system, the SIS, enables enforcement agencies throughout Europe to have access to a database of reports on individuals and objects, such as cars, for border control purposes, internal police checks and in some cases for the purpose of issuing visas, residence permits and dealing with those whom the system defines as aliens.
It also allows citizens from participating Member States to travel throughout the Schengen area without being subjected to checks at internal borders.
The SIS became operational in seven countries in 1995 and now covers 13 of the original 15 Member States, plus Norway and Iceland. The UK and Ireland are only partially involved, and Switzerland is due to hold a referendum on Sunday to decide whether or not to join the system.
The expansion of the EU last year means that the demands on the SIS are likely to increase. Political changes, particularly in the wake of 9/11 and the Madrid bombings, have led to a greater demand for information exchange between nations, while advances in technology have meant that biometrics can now be used for identification purposes.
So an updated system has been developed.
Yesterday the Commission put forward three measures – two Regulations and a Decision – to implement the scheme and establish a legal framework for its use.
This framework, says the Commission, will provide increased transparency on all SIS II activities and will also reinforce the rights of individuals providing a comprehensive set of safeguards. Finally, the proposals will allow a proper democratic debate involving all EU institutions in the conception of the SIS II.
The system has not been universally welcomed. Civil liberties groups fear that it is yet another example of the growing surveillance society. In April, a new pressure group, the International Campaign Against Mass Surveillance (ICAMS), published a report highlighting SIS II as one of 10 signposts that show how far down the road towards a global surveillance infrastructure we have already travelled.
