What is the National Plan for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (PNPIC)?

The National Plan for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure (PNPIC), an update of the previous plan dating from 2007, was approved by Instruction No. 1/2016 of the Secretary of State for Security.

The PNPIC contains the criteria and guidelines necessary to mobilize operational response capabilities, articulating measures to ensure the permanent, up-to-date, and uniform protection of critical infrastructure in any of the strategic sectors covered by the PIC Law against deliberate threats. all in line and in coordination with the provisions of the Anti-Terrorist Prevention and Protection Plan, to which it is linked.

What is the Critical Infrastructure Alert Level (NAIC)?

The Alert Level is a scale composed of several complementary levels, each of which is associated with a degree of risk that generally corresponds to the alert levels of the Counterterrorism Prevention and Protection Plan, based on the assessment of the terrorist threat at any given time.

Can the level of anti-terrorist alert and the level of activation for the protection of critical infrastructures be different?

Yes, although they usually coincide. However, in specific circumstances, both may vary depending on the information available, the circumstances associated with it, and the threat assessment made by those involved in the PIC System.

How many levels are there?

niveles de activación

There are five activation levels, as in the classification set out in the Anti-Terrorism Prevention and Protection Plan, associated with a specific level of risk: Level 1 corresponds to low risk, Level 2 to moderate risk, Level 3 to medium risk, Level 4 to high risk, and Level 5 to very high risk.

What does each of the levels imply?

The activation of each PNPIC security level entails the gradual implementation of a set of specific measures tailored to the status and nature of the threat.

Who decides the activation level of critical infrastructure protection?

The activation of a PNPIC security level is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior, through the Secretary of State for Security, and corresponds to the degree of risk detected at any given time, based on the assessment of the threat and other concurrent circumstances.

What are the criteria for activating a security level of the PNPIC?

NIVEL DE ALERTA EN INFRAESTRUCTURAS CRÍTICAS (NAIC)

The activation of the different levels will generally be conditional upon the activation of the alert level established at any given time by the Anti-Terrorist Protection and Prevention Plan, based on the assessment of the threat and other related circumstances. However, in the case of this Plan, special consideration will be given to the intention, capacity, and probability of a deliberate attack against critical infrastructure that provides essential services to the public.