Osegi
Business·1 min read

EU sues IBM-led consortium over delays to border control system

The EU is taking IBM and its partners to court in Estonia over repeated delays in building the European Entry/Exit System (EES) for border control.

A border control checkpoint with travelers queuing at electronic passport kiosks under EU flags.
Image: heise online
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The European Union is suing a consortium led by IBM over the repeated delays in developing the European Entry/Exit System (EES). According to the report, the complaint is being filed in Estonia and targets IBM as well as its partners in the project.

The EES is a border control system, and the dispute centers on the fact that its development has been pushed back several times. The EU is now turning to the courts to address the delays rather than settling the matter outside of them.

What it means

The lawsuit shows how much pressure the delays have created for the EU institutions responsible for the project. A legal fight between a public client and a major IT contractor can also affect how quickly the system moves forward, although the material available does not say how.

Details such as the amount of any damages sought, the exact responsibilities of each consortium member or the court's timetable have not been disclosed in the information available so far. Neither IBM nor its partners have been quoted on the matter.

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Tags:ibmeueesborder controllawsuitestonia

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