Government plan for national vigilance. in the face of the threat of acts of terrorism. «VIGILNAT Plan»

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1 Government plan for national vigilance in the face of the threat of acts of terrorism «VIGILNAT Plan» Plan gouvernemental de vigilance nationale face aux menaces d actions terroristes (Public version) Ministry of State Ministry of Internal Security Approved and rendered enforceable by the Council of Government on 27 March 2015

2 The VIGILNAT government plan is the framework document for managing the threat of possible terrorist acts in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The concrete measures to be taken shall be decided upon by the competent authorities for national protection at the appropriate time, communicated to the public and put in place by the competent agencies and departments. 2

3 1. Introduction and aims VIGILNAT, the government plan for national vigilance in the face of the threat of acts of terrorism, defines the national package of measures for vigilance, prevention and protection against the threat of a terrorist act or in reaction to a terrorist attack on Luxembourgish soil and the actions the Luxembourg government should consequently take. Decreed by the Council of Government on 27 March 2015, the VIGILNAT plan aims to: provide the country and its citizens with adequate protection against the terrorist threat; prevent or detect as far as possible any threat of terrorist acts; guarantee a rapid and coordinated reaction in the event that a terrorist threat is imminent or has been committed. The plan determines which bodies will manage and coordinate the response, the measure of vigilance, prevention and protection to be employed and the subsequent actions to take, and it sets out how the alarm will be raised and circulated to the authorities and how information will be conveyed to the public. Responding to the need for a global approach to the fight against terrorism, the VIGILNAT plan covers the entire country and brings together all the stakeholders concerned. It is at the heart of the national package of measures for protection to respond to the terrorist threat and provides a major contribution to national security. Information on the threat is highly sensitive and therefore not directly available to the wider public. The execution of the plan developed under the leadership of the High Commission for National Protection (Haut-commissariat à la protection nationale, HCPN) falls under the remit of the Prime Minister, Minister of State and the Minister of Internal Security. 2. Implementation of the plan The VIGILNAT plan is designed to be implemented in four stages: evaluating the terrorist threat; choosing an alert level; defining measures to take; implementing these measures. 3

4 In the event of a terrorist threat, the Luxembourg authorities will mainly focus on protecting the population and the country's territorial integrity and structures. Based on the proposals put forward by the Prime Minister and Minister of State, the government will decide whether to implement the provisions and measures provided by the VIGILNAT government plan. Each minister will implement the applicable measures in respect of the administrations, departments and establishments that fall under their remit. At local level, if necessary, the municipalities have the competency to act, in particular with regard to schools and local and school transport. In general, the people responsible, both in the public and private sectors, for vulnerable facilities and bodies are charged with organising their own protection. Depending on the alert level triggered and the nature and subject of the threat, these officials will implement specific protective measures on the basis of the respective level of alert. All organisers of public meetings, shows or demonstrations must implement the necessary measures to guarantee the safety of the public and participants. Every citizen is responsible for his/her own safety, and contributes, through his/her responsible behaviour, to preventing and protecting society from terrorist threats Evaluating the terrorist threat In line with a schedule adapted to the changing national and international situation, the terrorist threat will be evaluated by the Anti-terrorism Coordination Group (Groupe de coordination en matière de lutte contre le terrorisme, GCT) which will sent its assessment to the government with a proposed alert level. The government sets the alert level to be put in place for the country s The different threat levels are: 1 LOW when possible, but improbable ; 2 MEDIUM when real, but abstract ; 3 SERIOUS when probable and concrete ; 4 VERY SERIOUS when concrete and imminent, or if a terrorist attack has been committed. 4

5 3.3. s The plan comprises four alert levels that correspond to the respective threat levels. The alert level is set based on the proposals made by the Anti-terrorism Coordination Group (Groupe de coordination en matière de lutte contre le terrorisme, GCT) and announced by the government on the website 1 (corresponds to the LOW threat level) applies when possible, but improbable; does not bring about specific measures, the measures and procedures in place are permanent ones. 2 (corresponds to the MEDIUM threat level) applies when real, but abstract; consists of strengthening vigilance against a real threat that is as yet undefined ; triggers the implementation of temporary measures of vigilance, prevention and protection of variable intensity that do not excessively limit the country's economic and social life. 3 (corresponds to the SERIOUS threat level) applies when probable and concrete; translates into a strengthening of measures of vigilance, prevention and protection and is intended to be of limited duration; can be activated over the whole territory or a limited geographical zone and/or certain sectors of activity. 4 (corresponds to the VERY SERIOUS threat level) applies when concrete and imminent, or when one or several terrorist acts have been committed on national territory; includes mobilisation of all the response capabilities available and the application of particularly stringent measures to counter the threat and, in the event of an attack, to intervene rapidly and in a coordinated manner; can be activated over the whole territory or a limited geographical zone and/or certain sectors of activity and is designed to be of limited duration. 5

6 Moving to alert level 4 will cause the Prime Minister to activate the Crisis Cell (Cellule de crise, CC). Summoned by the High Commissioner for National Protection and chaired by the Minister of Internal Security, the CC initiates, coordinates and monitors the execution of all the measures intended to combat the crisis and its effects respectively, with the aim of returning the country to a normal situation. It prepares the necessary decisions and submits them to the government for approval Information provided to the public The public will be informed of changes to the terrorist threat and the level of alert by the government and via the websites and 6

7 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 113 CALL VIGILNAT LEVELS LOW «1» MEDIUM «2» SERIOUS «3» VERY SERIOUS «4» possible, but improbable does not trigger any specific measures; the measures and procedures in place are permanent ones. real, but abstract consists of strengthening vigilance against a real threat that is as yet undefined; triggers the implementation of temporary measures of vigilance, prevention and protection of variable intensity. probable and concrete triggers a reinforcement of measures of vigilance, prevention and protection; is intended to be of limited duration; can be activated over the whole territory or a limited geographical zone and/or certain sectors of activity. concrete and imminent, or when one or several acts of terrorism have been committed on national territory includes mobilisation of all the response capabilities available and the application of particularly stringent measures to counter the threat and, in the event of an attack, to intervene rapidly and in a coordinated manner; is intended to be of limited duration; can be activated over the whole territory or a limited geographical zone and/or certain sectors of activity