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1. By 25 August 2025, the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) shall provide the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Member States, as well as Europol, with a high-level roll-out plan for the progressive start of operations of the EES (the ‘eu-LISA high-level roll-out plan’), taking into account the thresholds and requirements set out in Article 4(2) to (5). That plan shall support the effective and continuous operation of the EES Central System by confirming performance and availability targets of the EES Central System, as well as the strategy regarding potential functional minor, major and blocking defects, shall indicate contingency procedures and shall provide guidance on the functioning of the EES Central System to the Member States and Europol. The eu-LISA high-level roll-out plan shall be adopted by eu-LISA’s Management Board.

2. By 24 September 2025, in consultation with the Commission and eu-LISA, each Member State shall develop a national roll-out plan for the progressive start of operations of the EES (the ‘national roll-out plan’), taking into account the eu-LISA high-level roll-out plan, and transmit that plan to the Commission. Where a Member State does not start operating the EES fully from the beginning of the progressive start of operations of the EES, its national roll-out plan shall specify how the thresholds and requirements set out in Article 4 are to be complied with. eu-LISA shall consider whether the national roll-out plans are technically consistent with the eu-LISA high-level roll-out plan and shall confirm that they do not contain any technical deficiencies which could further delay the start of operations of the EES. The Commission shall consider the overall coherence of all national roll-out plans and whether each national roll-out plan is compliant with the thresholds and requirements set out in Article 4. Where a Member State plans to start operating the EES or to use the biometric functionalities of the EES at a specific border crossing point, that Member State shall inform the operators of infrastructure hosting that border crossing point thereof.

3. From the 30th day from the first day of the progressive start of operations of the EES, Member States shall provide monthly reports to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and eu-LISA confirming the implementation of their national roll-out plans or identifying deviations and corrective measures where such were necessary to comply with the thresholds and requirements set out in Article 4.

4. The Commission shall facilitate the provision of concise national roll-out plans and monthly reports by the Member States.

5. At the request of the Commission, eu-LISA shall provide the Commission with the statistics necessary for the Commission to monitor the implementation of the eu-LISA high-level roll-out plan and the national roll-out plans, in accordance with Article 63(6) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226.

6. Where necessary, the Commission shall, in consultation with the European Data Protection Supervisor, provide further practical guidance on the processing of personal data in the EES during the progressive start of operations of the EES.