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The International Association of CIP Professionals (IACIPP) is preparing to bring together the European critical infrastructure community for the 3rd CIP Week in Europe, taking place in Brussels from 20th–22nd October 2026.

 

With just weeks to go before the event, the programme is taking shape as one of the most comprehensive gatherings yet for professionals responsible for protecting, securing and strengthening the resilience of critical infrastructure.

 

Held alongside the 11th Critical Infrastructure Protection & Resilience Europe (CIPRE) Conference, CIP Week will bring together critical infrastructure operators, government and EU representatives, security professionals, resilience practitioners, emergency planners, researchers and industry specialists for three days of discussion, knowledge sharing and networking.

 

The programme reflects the rapidly changing environment facing critical infrastructure across Europe. While the implementation of the NIS2 and CER Directives remains a major focus for governments and operators, the agenda goes well beyond regulatory compliance to examine the practical challenges of protecting critical entities in an increasingly complex and interconnected threat environment.

 

Opening the programme will be a keynote session examining Critical Infrastructure Resilience: Ukraine’s Experience, Lessons Learned and Strategic Priorities, featuring Major General Oleksandr Potii of Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection and Ricardo Figueiredo of ENISA.

 

The programme will then move from policy to practical implementation with “From Definition to Delivery: Governance, Methodology, and Practical Implementation of NIS2 and CER”, addressing the continuing challenges around identifying critical infrastructure, assigning responsibilities, risk assessment, compliance and incident reporting.

 

Other sessions will examine some of the emerging threats and vulnerabilities facing critical infrastructure operators, including hybrid warfare, cyber operations, terrorism, drones and the misuse of artificial intelligence. A dedicated session on emerging and evolving threats will include discussion of China’s cyber operations against critical infrastructure and the detection of hybrid campaigns, while further sessions will consider systemic risk and Europe's preparedness for major infrastructure disruption.

 

Infrastructure interdependencies and cascading effects will also be a major theme, recognising that failures across energy, transport, telecommunications and other essential services can rapidly propagate across sectors and national borders. The programme will explore cross-sector coordination, information sharing, ISACs and approaches to understanding and managing systemic risk.

 

The event will also place a particular focus on maritime and subsea infrastructure, reflecting growing concern around the security and resilience of ports, vessels, subsea cables and other critical assets. The dedicated sector symposium will examine cyber and hybrid threats, underwater infrastructure protection and the resilience of Belgium's maritime critical infrastructure.

 

Technology will form another important strand of the programme, with sessions examining detection and protection technologies, artificial intelligence, drone detection, access control and security systems, alongside dedicated discussion of drones and UAS and their growing role as both a threat and a potential tool for infrastructure protection.

 

Alongside the main conference programme, CIP Week will feature specialist workshops from partner organisations. These include the Crisis Communications Network Europe (CCNE), which will examine crisis communications for critical infrastructure, CoESS, focusing on preparedness and the role of private security, and ECSCI, which will deliver a workshop on resilience stress testing and the implementation of the CER Directive.

 

“CIP Week was established to bring together the people who are responsible for protecting and strengthening critical infrastructure and to provide a forum where experience, knowledge and practical solutions can be shared,” said John Donlon QPM, FSyI, Chairman of IACIPP.

 

“The environment has changed significantly since we held the first CIP Week in Europe. The threats are evolving, regulatory requirements are developing and the interdependencies between critical infrastructure systems are becoming increasingly important. At the same time, the experience of Ukraine and the emergence of hybrid threats, drones, AI-enabled activity and attacks against maritime and subsea infrastructure are providing new lessons for operators and governments across Europe.

 

“Our programme in Brussels reflects these developments. It is not simply about discussing the threats; it is about looking at how organisations can prepare, respond, adapt and build resilience in practical terms. We look forward to bringing the CIP community together in Brussels in October.”

 

The programme will conclude with a plenary discussion examining Europe's preparedness for systemic infrastructure disruption, bringing together perspectives from government, industry, cybersecurity and Ukraine to consider the resilience gaps that remain and the challenges of responding to an evolving hybrid threat environment.

 

With the programme, speakers and workshops continuing to develop, IACIPP is encouraging critical infrastructure operators, government agencies, security and resilience professionals and industry organisations to follow the latest announcements and programme updates ahead of the event.

 

The latest agenda, registration, speaker information, programme updates and commentary are available at: