EU sues IBM and two firms over delays to border entry-exit system

The European Union's IT agency, EU-Lisa, has sued IBM and two other companies over delays in delivering the bloc's new border system, its latest annual accounts have revealed.

The case names the French IT company Atos and the Italian defence contractor Leonardo alongside IBM. The three companies formed the consortium responsible for implementing and maintaining the EU's entry-exit system (EES).

The system, launched in October 2025, has faced difficulties from the start. At peak times some passengers have missed their flights as a result of delays blamed on the new technology and a lack of staff at the border.

In its annual accounts the agency said that following the various delays in the delivery of the EES by the contracting consortium, it activated the available contractual and legal remedies to protect its financial interest.

EU-Lisa said a claim had been submitted on 22 December 2025 to a court in Estonia, where it has its headquarters.

The agency declined to comment on the details of the case, but said the proceedings concerned the system's development phase and have no impact on its current operation, adding that the EES is fully operational.

The lawsuit was first reported by the Financial Times.

The European Commission said it was not a party to the case, while noting it concerned delays in the delivery of the EES at the time of system development and was not related to the operation of the EES.

Airports have complained of malfunctioning EES kiosks and regular outages of the system, which have led to waiting times of three hours at peak periods.

The system increased security checks on passengers travelling into the EU from outside its border-free travel zone. Travellers' faces have to be photographed and fingerprints scanned before they are allowed into the Schengen area, which comprises 25 of the 27 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The checks do not apply to people who are not citizens of one of the 29 Schengen countries, Ireland or Cyprus.

EU-Lisa is the bloc's agency for large-scale IT systems in the domain of justice and security. The Guardian has contacted IBM and Leonardo. Atos declined to comment.