No blips in Visa Information system

NNOIDA, UP:Following its development by an international consortium led by Steria and in conjunction with HP, the Visa Information System (VIS) entered into live operation on the 11th October 2011 and has now been running smoothly for 11 months.

The system, which was commissioned by the European Commission's Directorate General for Home Affairs, allows Schengen States to exchange visa data for short-stay or transit visas by connecting their consulates in non-EU countries and all external border crossing points across the region. The system, as a press release adds, currently processes an average of 4,000 visa applications per day with up to 11,000 applications handled on a 'peak' day. As of now the system has processed approximately 1,000,000 visa applications.

The Schengen Area has expanded since its birth in 1985 to encompass 26 countries with additional regions joining on a regular basis, including Liechtenstein which is due to join very shortly. Its aim is to create a large area within which people can live, work and travel, but while the very large majority of visa holders follow the rules, abuses can also take place. VIS will help in combating and preventing fraudulent behaviours, such as "visa shopping" (i.e. the practice of making further visa applications to other EU States when a first application has been rejected) which has been linked to activities such as human trafficking and terrorism. Consolidated regulation of visas granted across Schengen states will help member states in their overall commitment to a safer Europe.

In order to ensure that VIS is robust, accurate and integrates all systems seamlessly while addressing the requirements of both the European Commission and the Member States, extensive tests and months of fine tuning were carried out before the go-ahead was given for the system to enter into operations last year, as added in the release. Given the large number of stakeholders involved and the political sensitivities surrounding the implementation and the system itself, the European Commission and the new European Agency that will take over the management of this system as from the end of 2012 will naturally continue to monitor operations carefully.

Francois Enaud, General Manager, Groupe Steria SCA said, "VIS is a great success for European, Schengen and international collaboration. It demonstrates a major step forward in sharing information and processes within the Schengen region and between its member countries. In addition, it demonstrates that, although challenging, large-scale, multi-stakeholder, integrated IT systems can be successfully implemented and delivered, allowing multiple countries to work together smoothly and easily from the outset. We already work with the governments of many European countries but this contract has proved our ability to help these governments work together efficiently."