The EU’s IT agency, EU-Lisa, has initiated legal proceedings against IBM, French technology firm Atos, and Italian defence contractor Leonardo regarding the troubled entry/exit system (EES) for the bloc’s borders. The three companies were part of a consortium contracted to implement and maintain the system.
The entry/exit system became operational in October 2025 as a security enhancement requiring biometric data collection from travelers entering the Schengen area. Since its launch, the system has encountered substantial operational challenges, with airports reporting malfunctioning kiosks and recurring outages that resulted in extended waiting periods during peak travel times. In some cases, passengers have missed flights due to processing delays attributed to system failures and insufficient staffing at border checkpoints.
EU-Lisa disclosed the lawsuit through its annual accounts, noting that the agency activated contractual and legal remedies following repeated delays in the system’s delivery by the consortium. The claim was formally submitted on 22 December 2025 to a court in Estonia, where EU-Lisa is headquartered. The agency stated that the proceedings relate specifically to the system’s development phase and do not affect its current operational status.
Both EU-Lisa and the European Commission emphasized that the legal action concerns delays during the initial development and delivery stages rather than ongoing operational issues. EU-Lisa maintained that the EES is currently fully operational, while the Commission clarified it is not a party to the proceedings. The system applies security checks to non-Schengen citizens traveling into the EU’s border-free travel zone, capturing facial photographs and fingerprints as part of enhanced entry procedures.
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