EU files lawsuit against IBM, Atos and Leonardo

The European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems (eu-LISA) has filed a lawsuit against the American company IBM, the French IT group Atos and the Italian defense contractor Leonardo over repeated delays in the development of the new electronic border control system (EES).

This was reported by the Financial Times (FT).

"In connection with the numerous delays in the implementation of the EES system by the contracting consortium, the agency has used the available contractual and legal mechanisms to protect its financial interests," the documents reviewed by the newspaper say.

According to the FT, the launch of the "smart system" of border checks had been planned for 2022, but its full implementation took place only this year. The rollout of the system was accompanied by numerous software failures. In particular, fingerprint scanners stopped working when drops of sweat got on them, which led to hours-long lines at airports across Europe.

During the development process, disagreements arose between eu-LISA and the contracting consortium: the companies contested the fines imposed by the agency, as well as the deadlines it had set. In December 2025, eu-LISA filed a lawsuit against IBM, Atos and Leonardo in Estonia, where the agency's headquarters is located.

As the European Commission reported earlier, the EES border control system at the external borders is supposed to gradually replace the current process of stamping passports.

Source: TASS