EU sues IBM, Atos and Leonardo over delayed Entry/Exit System
The EU agency eu‑LISA filed a civil claim in Estonia on 22 December 2025 against IBM, Atos and Leonardo for missing deadlines in the development of the Entry/Exit System (EES). The six‑year contract awarded in 2019 was valued at €142 million and rose to €212 million by 2021. The biometric border system finally went live in October 2025 and reached full operation in April 2026, but the lawsuit concerns the earlier development phase and seeks to recover costs and penalties.
Why it matters
eu‑LISA says the action is to protect the EU’s financial interests and could result in the consortium having to repay part of the €212 million contract value. The case also signals stricter enforcement of delivery obligations for future large‑scale EU IT contracts, which may affect pricing and risk assessments for suppliers.
Key facts
- 1eu‑LISA filed the civil claim on 22 December 2025 in Harju County Court, Estonia. news.lavx.hu
- 2The original EES contract was awarded in 2019 for €142 million. finance.biggo.com
- 3The contract value increased to €212 million in 2021. finance.biggo.com
- 4The EES system went live in October 2025 and reached full operation in April 2026. globalbankingandfinance.com
- 5The lawsuit concerns only the development phase and does not affect current system operation. globalbankingandfinance.com
- 6The amount of damages being claimed has not been disclosed. insurancebusinessmag.com
Summary written by AlphAI AI Desk from 18 of 18 sources. Not investment advice. Figures are as stated by the linked sources.