sTESTA is the European Union’s classified telecommunication network. The European Commission, the European Council and the European Railway Agency have joined forces to upgrade the network, creating a network for the secure exchange of data within several policy areas.
Commission vice president Gunter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, said, This initiative will make the EU’s electronic communication infrastructure considerably more efficient. It will enable us to better respond to the many challenges in the field of eGovernment, making our society more modern and safer.
Commission vice president Franco Frattini, responsible for justice, freedom and security policy, added, This will provide a highly reliable and secure backbone to connect the new Schengen information system, which will include biometric data, and facilitate interoperability among different systems, allowing for better and swifter co-operation between national authorities and EU bodies.
sTESTA stands for secured trans-European services for telematics between administrations. It is dedicated to inter-administrative requirements and is providing guaranteed performance levels and security.
sTESTA will provide the communication infrastructure for SIS II, the second generation Schengen information system, which is a governmental database for European countries to maintain and distribute information related to border security and law enforcement.
EURODAC, the database system that includes fingerprints of asylum applicants, VIS, the visa information system, CECIS, the civil protection and environmental emergencies European network, and Europol, the European Union law enforcement organization that handles criminal intelligence, will all be supported by the sTESTA communication network.
