Belgium absent from international transport security meeting

Belgium last week was the notable absentee at a European expert meeting on public transport. After the March terror attacks in Brussels, the organisation added a special section on metro safety, but the Belgian ministers were not present at the meeting, writes Politico.

The land transport security expert group (LANDSEC) meeting took place last Monday, 11 April, in Brussels. Both former transport minister Jacqueline Galant and interior minister Jan Jambon received the invitation to represent Belgium at the event, but failed to show up. A representative of Galant who was supposed to attend, cancelled at the last minute and sent a replacement.

According to the Belgian representation in Europe, the country was absent due to an "urgent meeting at the transport ministry".

Groen party MP Stefaan van Hecke in Het Laatste Nieuws called the incident “rather amateurish". "It's about safety in the metro, the meeting took place in Brussels, and the Belgians are not there? It shows how seriously Belgium takes the issue of security in the country,” he said.

Belgium is, however, planning to hold a meeting about transport safety, and metro safety in particular, during a special international working group on the subject in mid-May.