EU Sues IBM and Two European Firms Over Border System Delays
The EU's IT agency, EU-Lisa, filed a claim on December 22, 2025, in an Estonian court against IBM, Atos and Leonardo over delays in delivering the bloc's entry/exit border system, according to its annual accounts. The Commission says the case is not linked to current operations.
The European Union's IT agency, EU-Lisa, sues IBM and two European companies over delays in building the bloc's entry/exit border system, according to its latest annual accounts. The agency submitted the claim on December 22, 2025, to a court in Estonia, where it has its headquarters.
The defendants are IBM, the French IT company Atos and the Italian defense contractor Leonardo. They make up the consortium that built and maintains the system, which launched in October 2025. The lawsuit was first reported.
What the accounts say
The annual accounts state that "following the various delays in the delivery of the EES by a contracting consortium the agency activated the available contractual and legal remedies to protect its financial interest". EES stands for the entry/exit system. The filing gives no damages figure.
EU-Lisa has said it had no comment on the legal case. It added that the case had "no impact on the functioning of the Entry/Exit System (EES), which is fully operational across Europe".
The European Commission said it is not a party to the case. It described the dispute as concerning "delays in the delivery of the EES at the time of system development" and as "not related to the operation of the EES".
Problems at the border
The rollout has been rocky. Some passengers at peak times have missed flights because of delays blamed on the new technology and a lack of border staff.
Airports have complained of malfunctioning EES kiosks and regular outages. Waiting times have reached three hours at peak periods.
How the system works
The system tightens security checks on travelers entering the EU from outside its border-free travel zone. Their faces are photographed and fingerprints scanned before they can enter the Schengen area.
Schengen covers 25 of the 27 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The checks apply to people who are not citizens of one of the 29 Schengen countries, Ireland or Cyprus.
EU-Lisa manages the system. It is the bloc's agency for large-scale IT systems in the domain of justice and security.
The Guardian said it has contacted IBM, Leonardo and Atos for comment.
