Luxembourg, 03/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 3 June, European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström officially announced to home affairs ministers that the new estimated date for starting up SIS II is now foreseen for 31 March 2013, that is, about one and a half years behind the initial schedule. Additional costs, which are to be confirmed in October, are expected to be around €28 million, in addition to the €55 million already spent and without counting national costs which are not made known by member states (EUROPE 10149). A first test of the system was successfully made in March and a second, life-size test is foreseen for 2012. “We have tested the reliability of the system at the present stage in order to know whether we should continue and the answer is yes. At the end, it will be a Ferrari and the second test will be determining”, the Commission said. But not everyone is convinced. “We have already spent €55 million in building a prototype that cannot be used”, one diplomat said of the project. Several countries are indeed reticent about continuing the SIS II adventure and have announced costs far higher than those announced by the Commission. These countries are Austria, Germany and, to a lesser extent, France. Austrian Home Affairs Minister Maria Theresia Fekter openly criticised the Commission for its lack of work on the question. “The two pages given in by the Commission are unacceptable. There is no budgetary plan and no full timetable”, the minister deplored, specifying for her part that a total budget of €90 million had already been spent “without result”. Speaking in defence of the new timetable, Malmström said it was the result of discussion between national experts. “This is a decision that is not political but purely technical and which is based on the decision of member state experts”, she said, pointing out that she would return to the matter in October. Germany, for its part, expressed “huge doubt” about the possibility of SIS II ever seeing light of day. “The best solution would be to work on the replacement solution”, said German Home Affairs Minister Thomas de Maizière. In his view, SIS II has already cost no less than €143 million. (B.C./transl.jl)