Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Technology

The entire Europe can see on the website of the ministry, which is Estonia’s vision of the EU agency for operative management of IT systems in the Justice and Home Affairs area. Estonia is interested in bringing the new agency to Estonia in order to make it into a pan-European centre of competence.

“Estonia has set itself an objective long ago to explain to Member States the necessity of an IT agency in the European Union and its future objectives,” stated the chairman of the Riigikogu European Union Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson.

Piret Lilleväli, an advisor in the ministry who prepared the bid for the IT agency, stated that the new institution is very necessary as several IT developments in the EU have halted. “For example, the creation of the new generation system of the Schengen Information System that has been delayed for more than four years and will be delayed further; the creation of the Visa Information System is also late,” she explained. (See more about VIS here. - BC.)

The EU JHA council will discuss the issue of the IT agency this month already. Estonia’s lobby will also continue – for example, Riigikogu Committee on EU Affairs will this week introduce Estonia’s aspirations in this field to their Italian colleagues.