The Schengen Information System, hereinafter referred to as ‘SIS’, set up pursuant to the provisions of Title IV of the Convention of 1990 implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 on the gradual abolition of checks at common borders3, hereinafter referred to as ‘the 1990 Schengen Convention’, constitutes an essential tool for the application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis as integrated into the framework of the European Union.

The need to develop a new, second generation Schengen Information System, hereinafter referred to as ‘SIS II’, with a view to the enlargement of the European Union and allowing for the introduction of new functions, while benefiting from the latest developments in the field of information technology, has been recognised and the first steps have been taken to develop this new system.

Certain adaptations of existing provisions and the introduction of certain new functions can already be realised with respect to the current version of the SIS, in particular as far as concerns the provision of access to certain types of data entered in the SIS for authorities the proper performance of whose tasks would be facilitated were they able to search these data, including Europol and the national members of Eurojust, the extension of the categories of missing objects about which alerts may be entered and the recording of transmissions of personal data. The technical facilities required for the purpose first need to be established in each Member State.

The Conclusions of the Laeken European Council of 14 and 15 December 2001 and in particular Conclusions 17 (cooperation between specialised counter-terrorism services), 43 (Eurojust and police cooperation with regard to Europol) and the Action Plan of 21 September 2001 against terrorism refer to the need to enhance the SIS and improve its capabilities.

Moreover, it is useful to enact provisions with respect to the exchange of all supplementary information through the authorities designated for that purpose in all Member States (Supplementary Information Request at National Entry), giving these authorities a common legal basis within the provisions of the 1990 Schengen Convention and setting out rules on deletion of data kept by these authorities.

The provisions in this Decision concerning Europol only set up the legal framework for access to the Schengen Information System and are without prejudice to adoption in the future of the necessary measures setting out the technical solution and the financial implications thereof.

The provisions in this Decision concerning the national members of Eurojust and their assistants only set up the legal framework for access to the Schengen Information System and are without prejudice to adoption in the future of the necessary measures setting out the technical solution and the financial implications thereof.

The provisions relating to access to SIS data for Europol and national members of Eurojust and their assistants only constitute a first phase and are without prejudice to further discussions on extending this facility to other provisions of the 1990 Schengen Convention.

The amendments to be made to this end to the provisions of the Schengen acquis dealing with the Schengen Information System consist of two parts: this Decision and a Council Regulation based on Article 66 of the Treaty establishing the European Community. The reason for this is that, as set out in Article 93 of the 1990 Schengen Convention, the purpose of the Schengen Information System is to maintain public policy and public security, including national security, in the territories of the Member States and to apply the provisions of the said Convention relating to the movement of persons in those territories, by using information communicated via the SIS in accordance with the provisions of that Convention. Since some of the provisions of the 1990 Schengen Convention are to be applied for both purposes at the same time, it is appropriate to amend such provisions in identical terms through parallel acts based on each of the Treaties.

This Decision is without prejudice to the adoption in future of the necessary legislation describing in detail the legal architecture, objectives, operation and use of SIS II, such as, but not limited to, rules further defining the categories of data to be entered into the system, the purposes for which they are to be entered and the criteria for their entry, rules concerning the content of SIS records, the interlinking of alerts, compatibility between alerts and further rules on access to SIS data and the protection of personal data and their control.

As regards Iceland and Norway, this Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded by the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the association of those two States with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis4, which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point G of Council Decision 1999/437/EC of 17 May 1999 on certain arrangements for the application of that Agreement.

The United Kingdom is taking part in this Decision, in accordance with Article 5 of the Protocol integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European Union annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and Article 8(2) of Council Decision 2000/365/EC of 29 May 2000, concerning the request of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis5.

Ireland is taking part in this Decision in accordance with Article 5 of the Protocol integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European Union annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and Article 6(2) of Council Decision 2002/192/EC of 28 February 2002 concerning Ireland’s request to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis6.

This Decision is without prejudice to the arrangements for the United Kingdom and Ireland’s partial participation in the Schengen acquis as defined in Decision 2000/365/EC and in Decision 2002/192/EC respectively.

This Decision constitutes an act building on the Schengen acquis or otherwise related to it within the meaning of Article 3(2) of the Act of Accession,