EU border agency sues IBM, Atos and Leonardo over delays to Entry/Exit System, FT reports
EU-Lisa, the EU's IT agency, has sued three consortium members, IBM, Atos and Leonardo, over delays in delivering the Entry/Exit System, the Financial Times reported. The agency and the Commission say the case does not affect how the system runs today.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2The Financial Times reported on 9 November 2026 that the EU has sued IBM, the French IT group Atos and the Italian defence contractor Leonardo over repeated delays in developing the bloc's new Entry/Exit System (EES) for border checks. CNAN “The European Union has sued IBM, French IT group Atos and Italian defence contractor Leonardo over repeated delays in developing its new smart border system” Read at CNA ↗ The GuardianLC “The EU has filed a lawsuit against IBM and two other companies involved in its troubled border-management system” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2The claimant is EU-Lisa, the agency that manages large-scale IT systems in the EU's justice and security area. The Guardian reported that it filed the claim on 22 December 2025 in a court in Estonia, where it is headquartered. The GuardianLC “EU-Lisa said a claim had been submitted on 22 December 2025 to a court in Estonia, where it has its headquarters.” Read at The Guardian ↗ CNAN “EU-Lisa, the agency responsible for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area has sued the firms” Read at CNA ↗ Mixed · 2The Guardian said the suit was disclosed in EU-Lisa's latest annual accounts, which state that after "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". The CNA report, based on the FT, cited internal communications. The GuardianLC “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” Read at The Guardian ↗ CNAN “citing internal communications” Read at CNA ↗
Mixed · 2IBM, Atos and Leonardo are the three members of the consortium that was to implement and maintain the system. According to the CNA report, the agency awarded a core EES contract in 2019 to a consortium including IBM Belgium, Atos Belgium and Leonardo, covering implementation and maintenance of the central system under a six-year contract. CNAN “In 2019, the EU agency awarded a core EES contract to a consortium including IBM Belgium, Atos Belgium and Leonardo.” Read at CNA ↗ The GuardianLC “the three members of a consortium to implement and maintain the EU's entry/exit system” Read at The Guardian ↗ Centre · 1The FT saw an October 2021 letter in which Atos Belgium and IBM Belgium contested "both the principle ... and the calculation" of a fine imposed by the agency, arguing that the delays stemmed from external factors including the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2022 the three companies pushed back against new deadlines set by EU-Lisa. CNAN “Atos Belgium and IBM Belgium contested "both the principle ... and the calculation" of a fine imposed by the agency, arguing that delays stemmed from external factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic.”“in February 2022, the three companies pushed back against new deadlines set by EU-Lisa.” Read at CNA ↗ Mixed · 2The EES records the entry and exit of non-EU nationals at the external borders of the Schengen area. It is meant to identify visa overstayers, combat identity fraud and curb illegal migration. Travellers are photographed and fingerprinted, and the Guardian says the system was launched in October 2025. CNAN “is designed to identify visa overstayers, combat identity fraud and curb illegal migration” Read at CNA ↗ The GuardianLC “faces have to be photographed and fingerprints scanned before they are allowed into the Schengen area” Read at The Guardian ↗
Left · 1The Guardian reports that the rollout has been difficult: some passengers at peak times have missed flights because of delays blamed on the technology and on a lack of border staff, and airports have complained of malfunctioning kiosks and outages that led to waits of up to three hours. The GuardianLC “some passengers at peak times have missed their flights as a result of delays blamed on the new technology and a lack of staff at the border”“which have led to waiting times of three hours at peak periods” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2EU-Lisa told the FT the legal proceedings have "no impact on the functioning of the Entry/Exit System (EES)", and that the dispute concerns delays in delivery at the time of development, not the system's operation. The Guardian attributes a similar line to the European Commission, which said it is not a party to the case. CNAN “no impact on the functioning of the Entry/Exit System (EES)," adding that the dispute relates to delays in the delivery of the EES at the time of the system development” Read at CNA ↗ The GuardianLC “The European Commission said it was not a party to the case” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2IBM, Atos, Leonardo and EU-Lisa had not responded to requests for comment when the articles were published, and Reuters, cited by CNA, said it could not immediately verify the FT report. CNAN “Reuters could not immediately verify the report. IBM, Leonardo, Atos, and EU-LISA did not immediately respond to a request for comment” Read at CNA ↗ The GuardianLC “The Guardian has contacted IBM, Leonardo and Atos for comment.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Ties the lawsuit to the difficult real-world rollout of the EES, including missed flights and long queues, with its own reporting on the annual accounts and court filing.
- Emphasis
- Passenger and airport problems since the October 2025 launch, the Estonian court filing date and the Commission's distance from the case.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the 2019 contract award details, the 2021 fine dispute or the companies' COVID-19 arguments.
- Charged language
- “troubled”“beset by problems”
- For example
-
“Since its launch the system has been beset by problems.” — The Guardian
“some passengers at peak times have missed their flights” — The Guardian
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- A short business-wire style report, relayed from Reuters and the FT, on a suit over contract delays, with the history of the contract and the companies' earlier objections.
- Emphasis
- The contract background: the 2019 award, the 2021 fine dispute and the companies' blaming of COVID-19.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not give the filing date or court, the passenger disruption since launch, or the annual-accounts disclosure.
- Charged language
- “troubled border system”
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- EU-Lisa has sued IBM, Atos and Leonardo over delays in delivering the Entry/Exit System, as first reported by the FT.
- EU-Lisa says the case does not affect the operation of the EES; it concerns delays during development.
- IBM, Atos and Leonardo had not commented when the articles were published.
Where accounts differ
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What EU-Lisa said to the FT
- Left
- The Guardian says EU-Lisa had no comment on the legal case to the FT, and attributes the line about delivery delays and no link to operation to the European Commission.
- Centre
- CNA, relaying Reuters and the FT, says EU-Lisa told the FT the proceedings had no impact on the EES and concerned delivery delays, not operation.
-
How the suit came to light
- Left
- The Guardian says it was revealed in EU-Lisa's latest annual accounts, and gives the filing date as 22 December 2025.
- Centre
- CNA says the FT cited internal communications.
eu-LISA organisation
EU-Lisa says it activated contractual and legal remedies to protect its financial interest, and that the case does not affect how the EES runs.
“the agency activated the available contractual and legal remedies to protect its financial interest” — The Guardian
“is not related to the operation of the EES” — CNA
IBM organisation
IBM, via IBM Belgium, disputed the principle and calculation of a fine in 2021, citing external factors such as COVID-19. It had not commented on the suit.
“Atos Belgium and IBM Belgium contested "both the principle ... and the calculation" of a fine imposed by the agency” — CNA
Left1 article
-
EU sues IBM and two European firms over troubled entry/exit border system
Critical Places the lawsuit in the context of a problem-ridden rollout, with passenger disruption and its own sourcing from the annual accounts.
Centre1 article
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CNAN ·
EU sues IBM and two European companies over troubled border system, FT reports
Neutral Concise relay of the FT scoop with contract background and the companies' earlier objections, noting it is unverified.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 9 Nov 06:27 First CNAN EU sues IBM and two European companies over troubled border system, FT reports
- 9 Nov 10:49 +4h 22m The GuardianLC EU sues IBM and two European firms over troubled entry/exit border system
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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