On June 13, 2019, at the Digital Assembly in Bucharest, Romania, Belgium joined Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and Spain in signing the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI) Declaration. The seven signatories agreed to explore how to develop and deploy a quantum communication infrastructure across the EU within the next ten years.
According to the European Commission, the planned infrastructure would enable information and data to be transmitted and stored ultra-securely, linking communication assets across the EU. It would integrate quantum technologies into conventional communication networks through both a terrestrial fiber-optic component and a space-based satellite component.
All 27 EU member states subsequently joined the initiative, with Ireland completing the list in July 2021. Belgium’s early participation placed the country in the first cohort of nations committing to the EU’s quantum-secure communication program.