Brussels is hosting until 5 June its first European civil protection exercise 'EU Modex 2026' simulating a severe flooding crisis.
The scenario involves critical flooding caused by saturated retention basins and blocked drainage systems, affecting major municipalities including Brussels City, Ixelles, Anderlecht, and Forest from 29 May.
Emergency services in the exercise face overwhelming demand and communication difficulties, prompting Belgium to activate the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UPCM) on 1 June. Assistance from European teams arrives the following day.
Co-financed by the European Union, the exercise gathers around 60 participants from 18 countries, including operational teams, crisis coordination experts, trainers, evaluators, and institutional representatives from Belgium and Europe.
European civil protection modules specialising in search and rescue, emergency medical care, and cultural heritage protection are also deployed.
An additional 30 participants enhance the effort, including Belgian partners such as safe.brussels, the Interior Ministry, emergency and police services, as well as international trainers, evaluators, certifiers, and an EU Commission representative.
"Organising this exercise in Brussels allows us to test our ability to collaborate with international partners under realistic conditions," said Sophie Lavaux, governor for crisis management in the Brussels Region and director of safe.brussels.
"This exercise is important because it marks a real change in mindset," said Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Crisis Management. "We need to train and anticipate rather than merely reacting to disasters once they occur. Belgium has benefited from this European mechanism just as much as it has contributed to it."
Belgium activated the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism for the first time in 2021, during the deadly floods in Wallonia.
"Talking about risks is not the same as spreading panic," Lahbib further emphasised, adding that, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey, many Europeans would like to be better informed about the potential risks the continent may face and how to prepare for them.
In total, the 27 member states of the European Union, as well as ten other countries on the continent, including Norway, Iceland, Turkey and Ukraine, are part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
