EU sues IBM and partners over troubled border system

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 9 Nov, 11:08 · Archive

The EU has sued IBM, Atos and Leonardo over delays to its entry/exit border management system.

The EU's IT agency, EU-Lisa, filed a case against IBM, Atos and Leonardo, the three companies responsible for implementing and maintaining the EU's entry/exit system. The lawsuit was revealed in EU-Lisa's latest annual accounts, which stated that the agency had 'activated the available contractual and legal remedies to protect its financial interest' following delays in delivery by the consortium. A claim was submitted on 22 December 2025 to a court in Estonia, where EU-Lisa is headquartered.

Since its launch in October 2025, the system has encountered persistent problems. Airports have complained of malfunctioning entry/exit system kiosks and regular outages that have created waiting times of up to three hours during peak periods. Some passengers have missed flights as a result of delays blamed on the new technology and insufficient staff at borders.

EU-Lisa stated the lawsuit has 'no impact on the functioning of the Entry/Exit System, which is fully operational across Europe'.

How it is being reported

• EU admits new border system that created hours-long queues for Brits was disastrousThe EU has filed a lawsuit against IBM and two European companies over its troubled border-management system, an internal document has revealed.Daily Mail · 9 Nov, 14:58
• EU sues IBM and two European firms over troubled entry/exit border systemLawsuit filed last year against IBM, Atos and Leonardo after delays to passengers blamed on the system, first reported in the FT The EU has filed a lawsuit against IBM and two other companies involved in its troubled border-management system, an internal document has revealed. The bloc’s IT agency, EU-Lisa, filed a case last year against IBM, the French IT company Atos and Italian defence contractor Leonardo, the three members of a consortium to implement and maintain the EU’s entry/exit system , which was launched in October 2025. Continue reading...Guardian World · 9 Nov, 10:49
• EU sues IBM and partners over troubled border systemLawsuit filed in Estonia relates to repeated delays in developing Entry/Exit SystemFinancial Times · 9 Nov, 05:00

In this story: EU-Lisa · IBM · Atos · Leonardo · Estonia · Europe

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