The Walloon Government strengthens its crisis management!

The Walloon Government today approved a new regional risk analysis, prepared by the Centre for Risk Coordination and Expertise Transfer (CORTEX).

This analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the main social, environmental and economic challenges in the Walloon Region, identifies the risks that could specifically affect the Walloon Region, and defines actions to reduce their potential impact.

The approval of this risk analysis meets the objective of the Regional Policy Statement, which calls for an “emphasis on prevention and risk management”, notably by giving “tangible follow-up to the risk analysis published by CORTEX”. This measure also ensures follow-up on the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry committee into the July 2021 floods.

A strengthened approach to crisis management in Wallonia

Under the decree of July 2023, the Walloon Region is required to adopt a Regional Crisis Management Plan (RCMP) by March 2025.

10 priorities to strengthen Wallonia's resilience

Ten priority risks were highlighted in the CORTEX analysis and ranked as follows:

1. Drought;


2. Epidemics and the spread of new diseases;


3. Geopolitics;


4. Heatwaves;


5. Cybercrime;


6. Flooding (overflow and surface runoff);


7. Disinformation;


8. Power outages;


9. Attacks on vital/critical regional infrastructure;


10. Environmental pollution.

And 28 recommendations

As part of the 2025-2026 action plan, 28 recommendations were formulated. The first five are more general in nature and fall under the Minister-President, who has a general coordinating role. The following ones relate to the various identified risks and will be monitored by the relevant ministers.

Here are a few examples:

• Drought: raising public awareness, strengthening water management infrastructure and integrating European warning systems.


• Epidemics and the spread of new diseases: establishing an Intersectoral Crisis Plan to anticipate health needs, based on lessons learned from COVID.


• Geopolitics: combating espionage and preparing supply chains crucial to the regional economy (energy, food, drinking water, etc.) in the event of a prolonged armed conflict.


• Heatwaves: promoting the creation of urban and rural green spaces to limit heat islands and adopting a specific management plan.


• Cybercrime: strengthening cybersecurity in Wallonia through a comprehensive and integrated approach, and providing businesses, organisations and public services with appropriate support.


• Flooding: continuing the post-2021 flood recommendations and strengthening risk awareness around this threat.


• Disinformation: integrating the fight against disinformation into the RCMP, in collaboration with the media and intelligence services.


• Power outages: establishing a continuity plan for strategic Walloon sites to address the risk of load shedding.


• Attacks on critical infrastructure: adapting the monitoring and control of the Region's vital infrastructure to European standards.


• Environmental pollution: intensifying the fight against emerging pollutants, with rapid analysis capacity for appropriate responses.

A commitment to Wallonia's safety

“This effort in prevention and crisis management is essential to guarantee the safety and resilience of our region in the face of current and future challenges,” said Minister-President Adrien Dolimont. The Walloon Government is committed to closely monitoring the implementation of this action plan and ensuring transparent communication with citizens and the Walloon Parliament.

This analysis and preparation work marks a major step forward in building a better-prepared and more resilient Wallonia, capable of effectively protecting its residents and essential infrastructure in times of crisis.