Protecting the North Sea infrastructure against threats is high on the cabinet's agenda. Minister Harbers (IenW) informed the House of Representatives in a letter to Parliament on June 11, 2024 about the progress of the measures and sent the ' Action Plan Strategy for the Protection of the North Sea Infrastructure ' with a proposal for financing. An overview of the measures.
Needs extra attention
The increased interests of the Netherlands in the North Sea, geopolitical developments and the deteriorated security situation require extra attention to the protection of the North Sea infrastructure. The letter to Parliament informs about the progress of the government's efforts in this area. During a debate on May 30, the Ministers of Justice and Security and Defense promised that an action plan for the protection of the North Sea would be quickly sent to Parliament. This action plan is now presented in this letter, also on behalf of the Ministers of Defense, Justice and Security, Economic Affairs and Climate, Climate and Energy, and Foreign Affairs.
The cabinet is now working on the implementation of the cabinet-wide 'Strategy for the Protection of the North Sea Infrastructure'. (Parliamentary document 22 450 no. 118) to achieve governance at both the political-administrative and operational and tactical levels.
The aim of the action plan is to provide insight into which activities are currently being developed for the period 2024 - 2025 to increase the protection of the North Sea infrastructure.
Financial resources
The cabinet has decided to make financial resources available for 2024 and 2025 to protect the infrastructure in the North Sea. These resources are used for, among other things, scaling up sensor capacity, ICT investments, training programs, and the development of a response system. The measures are tackled on a project basis by the North Sea Infrastructure Protection Program (PBNI).
This amounts to 16.8 million euros available for 2024 and 24.6 million euros for 2025, divided among the departments of EZK, JenV, IenW, and Defense. These contributions are included in the budgets of the departments.
Progress and Initiatives
The letter informs the House about:
- Progress of the PBNI and additional investments in image building.
- Initiatives for cooperation with other North Sea countries.
- Attention to maritime safety when constructing future energy infrastructure.
- Results of TNO studies into vulnerabilities and measures for submarine data and energy infrastructure.
Maritime safety
Maritime security concerns all measures to protect persons, objects or goods against deliberately harmful influences in the maritime domain. It concerns prevention and detection of, response to and protection against the threat of deliberately destructive actions aimed at our territorial physical, economic and ecological security, social stability and international rule of law. Examples of these types of actions are terrorism, hijacking, subversion, smuggling, sabotage, unwanted foreign interference and actions by state actors.
Attention to maritime security in the North Sea has increased due to national security issues such as subversion, migration, and protection of vital infrastructure. The North Sea is crucial for the Dutch economy and national security and contains thousands of kilometers of data cables, gas pipelines, and electricity cables. Geopolitical changes and increasing threats require additional measures to create a safe and future-proof environment.
Vulnerabilities of energy and data infrastructure
TNO has conducted studies that point to the need to protect energy installations and infrastructure. A significant part of the national energy requirement will be generated in the North Sea in the future. Submarine data cables are vulnerable to breaks due to fishing and anchoring. Although single cable breaks can usually be repaired quickly, multiple breaks are more difficult to estimate and can cause problems for private stakeholders.
North Sea infrastructure protection programme
The PBNI was established under the coordination of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and focuses on improving the safety of North Sea infrastructure. The program aims for clearer governance and cooperation between public and private parties. Detection, prevention and response measures are carried out by, among others, the Armed Forces, Coast Guard and Rijkswaterstaat.
Detection and preventive measures
Detection measures include increased vigilance by intelligence and security services and daily operations of the Royal Navy. The government will invest in improving Situational Awareness and Situational Understanding in 2024 and 2025. Preventive measures are aimed at risk analyzes and resilience-enhancing measures by providers of vital infrastructure. New legislation such as the CER and NIS2 strengthen digital and physical resilience.
Responsive measures
The Ministry of Defense has been given a permanent task to protect the North Sea infrastructure and is working to increase Situational Awareness and Understanding. Defense provides assistance to civil authorities and strengthens cooperation with private sector parties. Incident response and crisis plans are tightened to respond adequately to threats.
International cooperation
NATO patrols the North Sea and Baltic Sea and has established coordination cells for the security of submarine infrastructure. The Netherlands collaborates with other North Sea countries through initiatives such as the Joint Declaration on Cooperation and the Greater North Sea Basin Initiative. Collaboration with private parties is also strengthened by the PBNI.
Maritime safety drills future energy infrastructure
Maritime safety is an integral part of the construction of new energy infrastructure in the North Sea. This is included in national energy development programs and sub-programs for offshore wind energy. TNO studies into vulnerabilities and resilience measures are followed up by PBNI and responsible ministries.
Follow-up
The House will be informed again about progress at the end of 2024, and in the meantime in case of important developments.
Knowing more? In addition to the various policy documents, see also the ' Decision Memorandum to Parliamentary Letter on Progress Strategy for the Protection of the North Sea Infrastructure '.
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