Police and customs officers in Brussels are striking today. The dissatisfaction of civil servants is related to their working conditions.
The police protest, which will last until Saturday, is questioning the security of the three-day European Council meeting starting this evening. The meeting will continue tomorrow, and on Friday it will grow into an EU-Asia meeting involving 49 heads of state and government with their delegations.
At the Brussels International Airport, the strike begins this morning, and it is not known how long it will last. The customs officers are required to carry out in-depth inspections of airplanes and passengers. Their actions are expected to lead to delays in flights by an average of about an hour.
Brussels Airport is an international airport, located on 12.0 km northeast of Brussels, the capital of Belgium. In 2017, more than 24 million passengers arrived or departed at Brussels Airport, making it the 23rd busiest airport in Europe. It is located partially in Zaventem, partially in the Diegem area of Machelen, and partially in Steenokkerzeel, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is home to around 260 companies, together directly employing 20,000 people and serves as the home base for Brussels Airlines and TUIfly Belgium.