Speaking from the Elysée Palace late on Friday, 18 September 2026, President Emmanuel Macron warned that France is facing an “intensifying Russian hybrid threat” that combines cyber-attacks, drone incursions and disinformation campaigns. To pre-empt potential sabotage ahead of a heavy autumn travel season and October’s Olympic-test events, he instructed Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to table within 72 hours a cross-government plan for the protection of airports, rail hubs, ports and energy pipelines. The plan, to be coordinated by the Secretariat-General for Defence and National Security (SGDSN), will prioritise the country’s 27 “critical infrastructure clusters,” ranging from Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport and the Calais ferry terminal to data centres that host the Schengen Entry/Exit System (EES). Measures under consideration include geo-fenced drone exclusion zones, expanded passenger screening at external Schengen borders, and fast-track funding for cyber-resilience projects at regional airports that still rely on legacy IT. Macron’s announcement comes as France keeps its temporary internal Schengen border controls in place until at least 31 October 2026, citing a cocktail of jihadist threats, people-smuggling networks and rising antisemitic violence along the Channel coast. Travel-sector lawyers note that the twin moves could translate into longer waiting times at land borders with Belgium, Germany and Spain, and tighter documentation checks for coach and ferry passengers. For businesses, the biggest near-term impact will be on high-value cargo movements and executive travel itineraries that cross multiple EU borders in a single day. Mobility managers are being urged to review contingency routing, allocate extra transit time, and verify that posted-worker notifications list accurate points of entry. Cyber-security teams should also audit remote-working connections for employees travelling through French hubs, as state services prepare stress-tests of airport Wi-Fi and rail-station networks. Despite the hard security tone, the Elysée sought to reassure investors that France remains open for business. “Protecting our critical infrastructure is a pre-condition for secure, frictionless mobility,” Macron said, adding that he will convene a G7 leaders’ call in early October to align infrastructure-defence standards across major economies.
Source: Associated Press
