The Schengen Information System (SIS), set up pursuant to the provisions of Title IV of the Convention of 19 June 1990 implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 between the Governments of the States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders (2) (the Schengen Convention), and the further development thereof, SIS 1+, constitute essential tools for the application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis as integrated into the framework of the European Union.
(2)
The development of the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) was to the Commission pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 2424/2001 (3) and Council Decision 2001/886/JHA (4). Those instruments expire on 31 December 2008. This Decision should therefore supplement them until a date to be fixed by the Council acting in accordance with Council Decision 2007/533/JHA of 12 June 2007 on the establishment, operation and use of the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) (5).
(3)
SIS II was established by 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) (6) and by Council Decision 2007/533/JHA. This Decision should be without prejudice to the provisions of those acts.
(4)
Certain tests of SIS II are provided for in Council Regulation (EC) No 189/2008 (7) and in Council Decision 2008/173/EC (8).
(5)
The development of SIS II should be continued and should be finalised in the framework of the SIS II global schedule endorsed by the Council on 6 June 2008.
(6)
A comprehensive test of SIS II should be conducted in full cooperation between the Member States and the Commission, in accordance with the provisions of this Decision. As soon as possible after its completion, the test should be validated as provided for by Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006 and Decision 2007/533/JHA.
(7)
Member States should perform a test on the exchange of supplementary information.
(8)
As regards SIS 1+, the Schengen Convention provides for a technical support function (C.SIS). As regards SIS II, Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006 and Decision 2007/533/JHA provide for a Central SIS II composed of a technical support function and a uniform national interface (NI-SIS). The technical support function of Central SIS II should be located in Strasbourg (France) and a back-up in St. Johann im Pongau (Austria).
(9)
In order to better manage the potential difficulties brought about by the migration from SIS 1+ to SIS II an interim migration architecture for the Schengen Information System should be established and tested. The interim migration architecture should have no impact on the operational availability of SIS 1+. A converter should be provided by the Commission.
(10)
The Member State issuing an alert should be responsible for ensuring that the data entered into the Schengen Information System is accurate, up-to-date and lawful.
(11)
The Commission should remain responsible for Central SIS II and its communication infrastructure. This responsibility includes the maintenance and continuation of the development of SIS II and its communication infrastructure, including at all times the correction of errors. The Commission should provide coordination and support for the joint activities. The Commission should provide, in particular, the necessary technical and operational support to the Member States at Central SIS II level including the availability of a helpdesk.
(12)
The Member States are and should remain responsible for the development and maintenance of their national systems (N.SIS II).
(13)
France should remain responsible for the technical support function of SIS 1+, as expressly provided for in the Schengen Convention.
(14)
Representatives of the Member States participating in SIS 1+ should coordinate their actions within the framework of the Council. It is necessary to set out a framework for that organisational action.
(15)
The Commission should be empowered to contract out to third parties, including national public bodies, tasks conferred upon it by this Decision and tasks relating to the implementation of the budget, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (9).
Any such contract should respect the rules of data protection and data security and take into account the role of the relevant data protection authorities applicable to the SIS, in particular the provisions of the Schengen Convention and of this Decision.
(16)
Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (10) applies to the processing of personal data by the Commission.
(17)
The European Data Protection Supervisor, appointed pursuant to Decision 2004/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 December 2003 appointing the independent supervisory body provided for in Article 286 of the EC Treaty (11), is competent to monitor the activities of the Community institutions and bodies in relation to the processing of personal data. The Schengen Convention contains specific provisions on the protection and security of personal data.
(18)
Since the objectives of setting up the interim migration architecture and migrating the data from SIS 1+ to SIS II, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale and effects of the action, be better achieved at the level of the Union, it is considered that the adoption of the present measure is in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty Establishing the European Community and referred to in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, this Decision does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve those objectives.
(19)
This Decision respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in particular by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
(20)
The Schengen Convention should be amended to allow the integration of SIS 1+ into the interim migration architecture.
(21)
The United Kingdom is taking part in this Decision, in accordance with Article 5 of the Protocol integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European Union, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty Establishing the European Community, and Article 8(2) of Council Decision 2000/365/EC of 29 May 2000, concerning the request of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (12).
(22)
Ireland is taking part in this Decision in accordance with Article 5 of the Protocol integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European Union annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty Establishing the European Community, and Article 6(2) of Council Decision 2002/192/EC of 28 February 2002 concerning Ireland’s request to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (13).
(23)
This Decision is without prejudice to the arrangements for the United Kingdom’s and Ireland’s partial participation in the Schengen acquis as determined by Council Decisions 2000/365/EC and 2002/192/EC respectively.
(24)
As regards Iceland and Norway, this Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded by the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the association of those two States with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (14), which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point G of Council Decision 1999/437/EC (15) on certain arrangements for the application of that Agreement.
(25)
As regards Switzerland, this Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (16), which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point G of Decision 1999/437/EC read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council Decision 2008/149/JHA (17) on the conclusion of that Agreement on behalf of the European Union.
(26)
As regards Liechtenstein, this Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Protocol signed between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement concluded between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis, which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point G of Decision 1999/437/EC read in conjunction with Article 3 of Decision 2008/262/EC of 28 February 2008 on the signature, on behalf of the European Union, and on the provisional application of certain provisions of that Protocol (18),
