The director of Brussels Airport’s aviation police has resigned following a controversial decision to relax border controls at the airport, the Belga News Agency has learned.
On Friday, an internal staff memo was leaked showing that the aviation police chief had ordered the relaxation of border controls at the national airport to reduce queue times.
The police chief invoked Article 9 of the Schengen Agreement to ease border checks. However, Article 9 is only intended for exceptional, temporary circumstances, not as a structural measure. This made it an improper use of EU rules.
When this article is invoked, the border police limit themselves to visual passport checks and passport stamps for flights from countries outside the Schengen area.
In these circumstances, officers do not scan passports. This means that searches for “persons of interest” cannot be carried out.
Officials initially denied the existence of the memo, and “forcefully” denied having ordered any relaxation of border controls at Zaventem airport. Such an internal memo could not have come from “either the director of the aviation police, or from management”, a spokesperson said.
'Unacceptable, illegal and downright dangerous'
By Monday, however, the federal police acknowledged that the memo was real. They have since confirmed to Belga that the aviation police chief has resigned from his post.
A spokesperson said: “After an internal debriefing with the hierarchy, the common conclusion is that the director of the aeronautical police can no longer perform his duties in an appropriate and serene manner.”
They confirmed that a replacement will be appointed shortly “in cooperation with the outgoing director” to ensure a smooth transition”.
The issue was first highlighted by far-right party Vlaams Belang. MP Ortwin Depoortere said the breach was “totally unacceptable, illegal and downright dangerous”.
“Article 9 is a safety valve for emergencies, not a daily turnstile for understaffing,” said Depoortere.
“Anyone who opens the borders on command, without cause and without control, is putting the safety of our country at risk. Certainly at an airport that has already been the scene of a deadly terrorist attack.”
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin claimed to have instructed the police to carry out border controls properly. The minister was questioned on the matter in the Belgian parliament yesterday.
