Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and eu-LISA, the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, have agreed to strengthen their cooperation.
A cooperation plan was signed by Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri and eu-LISA Executive Director Krum Garkov during the Heads of Justice and Home Affairs Agencies annual meeting in Warsaw.
The cooperation plan, which runs from 2021 to 2023, covers ten thematic areas, including border and migration management, IT security, research and innovation as well as personal data protection.
“Cooperation between Frontex and eu-LISA has extended considerably in the past years, and this change needs to be adequately reflected in the corresponding cooperation instruments. I am very pleased to conclude the cooperation plan between our agencies today,” said Frontex Executive Director Leggeri.
“The signature of this renewed Cooperation Agreement comes to reconfirm the commitment of eu-LISA and Frontex to maintain and extend their cooperation as the best way to increase their contribution to the Member States and to the EU as a whole. Both agencies build their collaboration on synergies and complementarity with the joint objective of making Europe safer and stronger,” added Krum Garkov, Executive Director of eu-LISA.
Currently, the two agencies are working closely together to set up ETIAS – the European Travel Information and Authorisation System – which is scheduled to become operational next year and mark a major milestone in the digitalization of European border management along with the Entry/Exit System. eu-LISA is responsible for developing these two large-scale IT systems, while Frontex hosts the ETIAS Central Unit, which will operate on 24/7 basis to support travelers and carriers.
Read the announcement at Frontex
