A repatriation operation for Belgian travellers stranded in the Middle East will launch on Friday.
Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) and Defence Minister Theo Francken (N-VA) confirmed the move after Thursday's National Security Council meeting on the escalating conflict in the region.
Belgium has also requested the activation of the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism to assist in evacuating its nationals stranded in the Middle East.
The mechanism enables partial EU funding of repatriation operations. Belgium announced an evacuation plan using military aircraft on Tuesday and submitted its request to activate the mechanism on Wednesday evening.
Following the National Security Council meeting, Francken confirmed that the repatriation operation for tourists and business travellers would start on Friday.
They will be transported by bus to Muscat, the capital of Oman. They will then fly to Hurghada in Egypt, from where they will continue on to Belgium. There are currently no plans to evacuate Belgian nationals living permanently in the region.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) is expected to address the situation during a plenary session in the Federal Parliament on Thursday afternoon, while Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) will provide further details on the repatriation effort. Prévot was not present at the council, as he attended a meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU and the Gulf States.
Under the scheme, the EU can cover up to 75% of repatriation costs for national flights, provided that at least 30% of available seats are offered to citizens of other EU countries. If no Member State can assist, the European Commission can also organise flights through the 'rescEU' mechanism.
Ten EU countries – Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia and Austria – have so far activated the mechanism.
The European Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) has already supported six repatriation flights, returning EU citizens to Bulgaria, Italy, Austria and Slovakia. Further flights are expected in the coming days.
"From day one, we have been fully mobilised to bring home the hundreds of thousands of Europeans stranded in the Middle East through our EU Civil Protection Mechanism," said Hadja Lahbib, EU commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management. "The EU stands by its people and will spare no effort to get them home safe and sound."
