Benelux

Benelux crisis experts work towards a more resilient Europe

03 Sep. 2026

From 2 to 4 September 2026, the annual Benelux workshop on crisis management and resilience brought together experts from the Benelux countries, European institutions and national crisis centres in Rotterdam. Organised under the Dutch Presidency of the Benelux, the workshop focused on strengthening European resilience in the face of crises, hybrid threats and an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment.

In her opening speech, Secretary-General of the Benelux Union Ariadne Petridis highlighted the increasingly complex security environment facing Europe. “The old world is gone. If Europe wants to protect its peace, prosperity and way of life, European nations will have to cooperate even more closely,” she stated. According to her, cyberattacks, sabotage, disinformation and other hybrid threats represent a growing risk to European societies, making resilience a strategic necessity.

She also stressed that natural disasters, droughts, floods and health crises will continue to require our full attention. Resilience therefore calls for a comprehensive approach involving public authorities, critical infrastructure operators, businesses and citizens. In this context, Ariadne Petridis recalled the pioneering role of the Benelux, which in recent years has developed a common framework for cooperation between national crisis management centres. This cooperation now aims to go beyond the exchange of information and best practices, notably through practical preparedness, crisis communication, exercises and liaison mechanisms.

During the workshop, participants exchanged experiences on the upcoming European Comprehensive Risk and Threat Assessment (CoRTA), as well as on the future minimum preparedness requirements being developed by the European Commission. Discussions focused in particular on their implementation and monitoring, their alignment with NATO resilience requirements, and the need to strengthen cross-border cooperation. Participants also visited the port of Rotterdam, where they were introduced to the critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity and crisis management measures implemented in one of Europe’s major logistics and economic hubs.

An interactive exercise focusing on the prioritisation of limited critical capabilities in the event of a major crisis was one of the highlights of the programme. The final day was devoted to operational cooperation and incident management, including a presentation of the Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG) and its deployment in the North Sea in an international context.

Through this workshop, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg reaffirmed their ambition to work together towards a stronger, safer and more resilient Europe. As Ariadne Petridis stressed: “Close cooperation between countries is no longer simply an asset, but a strategic necessity.”