The EU Is Suing the Companies That Built Its New Border Checks

The Entry/Exit System that now scans fingerprints and photographs of non-EU travelers at Schengen borders has ended up in court. eu-LISA, the EU agency that runs the bloc’s large IT systems, has launched legal proceedings against the consortium that developed it: IBM Belgium, Atos Belgium and the Italian defense group Leonardo. The claim was filed in December 2025 with a court in Estonia, where the agency is based, and became public through eu-LISA’s annual report, as reported this week by Biometric Update and IT Pro.

The case concerns delays during development rather than how the system works today, and eu-LISA says EES is fully operational. The dispute has a long history. The original contract grew from 142 million euros to 212 million euros by 2021, arguments over missed deadlines and penalties started that year, and in 2022 the agency’s director said the consortium had missed all its milestones. The contract was not renewed. A group led by Greece-based Sword, with Netcompany and Sopra Steria, took over in June 2026 under a four-year framework worth 93 million euros.

For travelers, the lawsuit is a reminder of how rocky the rollout has been. Since EES started in October 2025, there have been software glitches, scanners that failed to read sweaty fingers, crashes and missed flights. Portugal temporarily suspended the system after queues at Lisbon reached seven hours. Airport and airline trade groups reported last month that peak waits had hit five hours and often ran beyond two. In June, Frontex warned that long EES lines could last for two more years.

Nothing about the court case changes what happens at the border. Visitors from the United States, the UK and other non-EU countries still register their biometrics on their first crossing, and anyone connecting through a Schengen hub should allow more time than they think they need. The next step is ETIAS, the online travel authorization that visa-exempt visitors will need before departure. It is now pointed at a 2027 launch, although the EU has not set an exact date.

Sources: Biometric Update, IT Pro