A consortium of suppliers led by Accenture have been awarded a three-year contracts to maintain the visa information system (VIS) which allows EU border-control agencies to cross share information and visa records.

The contract, valued at €70 million, will see the consortium provide technical support alongside identification services, integration and biometric capabilities.

Past problems with border travel within the Schengen Area have included visa shopping, in which individuals who have failed to gain entry into the EU, have been able to gain entry at another crossing, due to a lack of record sharing. The new VIS system is designed to modernise the EU’s border control system.