On March 28, the European Commission, Frontex, and Europol will jointly hold a conference on innovative technologies for strengthening the Schengen area.Considering the core role of technology in European Integrated Border Management, the organizers would like to invite representatives of industry to present and showcase innovative technologies that can be applicable to migration management and law enforcement activities in support of a fully-functioning Schengen area.
The conference will provide a platform for dialogue between policy decision-makers, senior technology project managers, and strategic industry leaders, essential actors who contribute to making the Schengen area more secure and resilient.
As part of the program of the conference, industry representatives will be invited to discuss and showcase the latest approaches, technologies and solutions to detect persons posing a high risk for internal security or irregular migration, whether already available on the market or under development, that can be applied in full compliance with freedom of movement within the Schengen area. Selected technology providers will be invited to present and share knowledge on technology applications in the live conference. All relevant applicants will be given the possibility to showcase on a dedicated online platform.
The organizers offer a forum to technology providers to present how technologies can address the challenges of:
- Monitoring the movement of persons through and near internal border areas to detect persons posing a high risk for internal security or irregular migration;
- detecting high-risk travelers on different modes of transport;
- Monitoring, tracking of vehicles suspected of illicit activities, including human smuggling, and detection of clandestine transportation;
- Support to secure information sharing between competent authorities;
- Communication tools and interoperability measures to enhance cooperation between Schengen states;
- In general, disrupting trans-national organized crime and terrorism specifically transiting through internal border areas.
Technological solutions shall respect the legal limitations resulting from the Schengen Borders Code, case-law, data protection rules and human rights provisions.
Industry representatives interested in contributing to the conference and exhibiting innovative solutions are invited to make an expression of interest by completing an online survey. The received proposals will be evaluated and selected based on their relevance to the theme of the conference in a way that ensures that different thematic areas are adequately represented. The deadline is set to March 2, 12:00 CET.