Atos and partners blamed for EES delays

Atos and its consortium partners bear a major share of responsibility for delays in deploying the European Union’s delayed biometric border control system, according to an analysis of emails and internal communications.

Documents from eu-LISA seen by Bloomberg describe the partial installation of equipment, mislaid parts, bugs that are not adequately addressed for weeks and inexperienced installation teams. The result is missed deadlines and millions of euros in extra maintenance costs, on top of the four delays to the Entry-Exit System (EES) launch date.

A consortium led by Atos, along with partners IBM and Leonardo, won a €142 million (roughly US$150 million) contract to build the core of the EES back in 2019. The main biometrics portion of the contract was subsequently awarded to Idemia and Sopra Steria.

But Atos and partners began missing deadlines in 2020, and a letter in 2022 from eu-LISA Executive Director Krum Garkov said it has “missed all milestones.”

As the delays pile up, Frontex has been forced to delay the European Travel Information and Authorization System visa system running atop EES.

Various parties declined to comment to Bloomberg or blame Atos by name, but the company has had seven CEOs since 2021 and is heavily indebted, according to the report. It describes an underestimation of the project’s complexity, leading to a litany of problems.

Atos had a market value of €8.2 billion ($8.6 billion) near the end of 2020, but is valued at a mere €74 million ($77.7 million) now. Creditors were given control of the company by a French court in November.

EES is now expected to launch in 2025, but there is currently no official launch date.

Article Topics

Atos  |  biometrics  |  border management  |  Entry/Exit System (EES)  |  EU  |  eu-LISA  |  Frontex