Prime Minister Bart De Wever has called an extraordinary meeting of Belgium’s National Security Council (NSC) for Friday 2 October to approve a new doctrine against so-called hybrid threats targeting critical infrastructure, including airports, ports and rail hubs. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin told Parliament that recent drone incidents at Leipzig Airport and a foiled plot at a UK military base underline the vulnerability of transport nodes. Security services fear similar tactics could be deployed against Brussels Airport, the Port of Antwerp, Zeebrugge LNG terminal or EU institutions in the capital. The draft action plan—circulated to EU and NATO partners—combines stepped-up cyber monitoring of airport border-control systems, rapid-deployment anti-drone units and closer intelligence sharing with private operators and ground-handling companies. An amendment to the Civil Aviation Act, to be tabled next month, would oblige airlines to report unexplained signal interference within 30 minutes. Business-travel managers are watching closely: any move to raise the national threat level could lead to random luggage screening, vehicle checks on airport approach roads or even temporary closures of Schengen-internal rail links, similar to measures seen during the 2016 terror wave. The NSC is also weighing whether to station military liaison officers permanently at Brussels Airport’s border-police command. Corporate security advisers welcome the proactive stance but caution that overlapping federal and regional competences—particularly at Antwerp’s port—could hamper swift implementation. Industry groups are lobbying for a single point of contact so companies can receive uniform guidance on travel and freight movements during an alert.
Source: The Brussels Times
