Belgium’s National Security Council is due to meet on Friday to discuss hybrid threats, announced the offices of Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) and Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) on Monday.
The security services and the relevant ministries are working on a plan and measures to counter the growing threats on the European continent. On Thursday, Quintin emphasised in Parliament the importance for Belgium of adapting to this new reality.
“There are, of course, plans to protect our infrastructure, but these must be constantly adapted, because the threat is evolving,” said Quintin on Thursday.
“We take these threats very seriously and are taking all necessary measures. We must do more, do it even better and adapt to reality, not only with our European allies, but also with the Americans and other allies, to ensure that we are strong enough to face the future.”
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In recent months, the number of incidents in Europe has increased. The war in Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East are putting the continent under pressure.
In early August, serious incidents occurred at Leipzig Airport, where a drone attributed to Russia nearly caused an aircraft loaded with explosives to detonate, and this weekend a planned attack was foiled at a military base in the UK. The police are investigating a lead pointing to Iran.
According to the minister, Belgium could also be an attractive target: the port of Antwerp, the Zeebrugge gas terminal, NATO headquarters, the European institutions or Euroclear, where a large proportion of the frozen Russian assets are held.
Last week, MR called for a meeting of the National Security Council on this subject. On Monday, the EU discussed the possible introduction of its own emergency mechanism, modelled on the NATO model, to strengthen its collective response to “hybrid attacks”.
