Romanian Govt. gives EUR 6.6 mln for mobile warning system

The Romanian Government has given RON 30.4 million (some EUR 6.6 million) to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations for the immediate purchase of the equipment needed to implement a system to alert system the population via text message (SMS) in case of emergency. “The difference between this amount and the amount of the public procurement contract concluded following the award procedure shall be returned to the Budgetary Reserve Fund at the disposal of the Government by the end of the year,” reads a statement from the Government. The Cabinet led by Mihai Tudose adopted on Thursday, October 5, the emergency ordinance on the implementation of this warning system called RO-ALERT. The authorities will use this system to send warning messages to citizens, in real time, through mobile network operators. The project aims to prevent the loss of human life as a result of dangerous meteorological and hydrological phenomena, and it was first announced after severe storms hit the Western part of the country in mid-September, leaving eight people dead and 145 injured. All users located in the area where the dangerous phenomena are expected to occur will be warned through this system. They will receive instant messages on their mobile phones, which will be repeated at certain time intervals, including for roaming terminals, according to the Government. Implementing the mobile alert system in Romania could take a year Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com