WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/BEL/23
20 November 2001
(01-5866)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  French
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   BELGIUM
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):   Belgium
2. Agency responsible:
Ministry of the Interior
Directorate-General of Police
Rue Royale 56
B – 1000 Brussels
Tel:  +32 2 500 24 95Fax:  +32 2 500 25 29
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):
Security systems:  technological systems which continually monitor the secure
transport of valuables and are able to detect abnormal situations and, where necessary,
neutralize the valuables or make them unusable.
It should be noted that the actual technical standards that must be met by security
systems do not appear in this Royal Decree, but in the draft Ministerial Decree on standards
for approving systems for the secure transport of valuables and in the technical note
attached as an annex to this regulation, already notified to the European Commission
(Notification 2000/643/B).
Secure space:  a space in a building in which the valuables can be placed within or
taken from a container in a secure manner.
Secure zone:  a zone in a building to which a vehicle transporting valuables has
access and in which the loading and/or unloading can be securely carried out.
The standards to be met by the secure space/secure zone are to be found in
Article 2, paragraph 2, fourth subparagraph, and paragraph 3 of this draft.G/TBT/N/BEL/23
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5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:
Draft Royal Decree Regulating Certain Methods for the Secure Transport of
Valuables.
6. Description of content:   Valuables can be transported securely in two ways:  the transport
of valuables can be made secure by imposing strict standards regarding arming and armour-
plating or by choosing a technological strategy that should in the first place act as a
deterrent and also make any attack on the transport of valuables unprofitable and, moreover,dangerous for those perpetrating it.  Since 1997, the Belgian authorities have firmly decided
in favour of the technological approach (use of "approved security systems").  Valuables
which, by their nature, can be neutralized (in general, the most sought-after valuables) will
be incorporated in a system that makes these valuables unusable immediately any attempt is
made to seize them.  As the security agents do not at any time have access to the valuables,
they will be given maximum protection (threats or taking hostages will not serve any
purpose).
Naturally, because there is less security risk, the transport of valuables using a
security system, the so-called "intelligent" box, will be subject to less stringent rules.
Certain special types of transport, however , cannot be undertaken according to this
principle.  The transport of valuables that can be neutralized without using a security system
and the transport of valuables that cannot be neutralized (with the exception of metal coins)is extremely vulnerable and subject to a high level of security risk.  For this type of
transport, the rules imposed vary according to the security risk involved in the transport.
Violent hold-ups (sometimes involving deaths), followed by strikes by the sector, have
obliged the Belgian authorities to revise the regulations on certain aspects regularly
(adaptation of social agreements, collective labour agreements), without affecting the basicphilosophy (technological strategy).  On the contrary, the use of neutralization systems has
always been encouraged.
An outline of the main modifications since 1997:
- Additional security measures for the transport of valuables that can be
neutralized:  (1) maintenance of a certain number of rules already applied inpractice, for example, the "margriet" system and the foreseen variability
system (prescribed in the protocol agreement of 16 January 1998) and the
ban on transport at night;  (2) the obligation to have an escort for zonal
transport;
- cancellation of the date of 16 March 1999, the final date for application of
the approved systems for the protection of valuables that can be neutralized
(see also the collective labour agreement of 25 February 1998);
- abolition of a certain number of provisions on vehicles, whose place is in
the regulations on the technical characteristics and approval of vehicles for
the transport of valuables.G/TBT/N/BEL/23
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7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
The main aim of this amendment is:
(1) To give the Ministry of the Interior an adequate legal basis for taking
special measures to provide the transport of valuables with maximumsecurity during the conversion to euros and to upgrade the security of
transport of valuables in the vicinity of airports;
(2) to encourage the various actors to make additional efforts to promote
security, in particular by obliging users of such services to provide a secure
space/zone as of 15 December 2001 (the commencement of the conversion
to euros), if there is a handling risk;
(3) to introduce a limited number of new rules (for example, the light-CIT
regulation) or to amend or revise existing rules (for example, compulsory
wearing of a bullet-proof jacket when bearing a weapon);
(4) the regulations on the secure transport of valuables have been amended
several times and this makes the text easier to read.  In order to make the
present regulations more readable and understandable, the division intodifferent forms of transport and different provisions needs to be adapted to
the actual way in which the secure transport of valuables operates.
8. Relevant documents:           
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }60 days
10. Final date for comments:           
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:   CIBELNOR