Latvia: Deployment of new emergency alert system delayed

Latvia’s new early warning system will not be implemented at the end of 2024 as planned because of a delay in the procurement process, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis announced, LSM reports. He said that the delay was due to the many legal appeals during the procurement procedure. The ministry announced a procurement tender for the four-year contract in 2023, LETA reported. The new system could be introduced in spring 2025, Kozlovskis estimated. The cellular broadcasting system will cost around EUR 4.27mn and will allow rapid notifications to be sent to all mobile phone users in the affected area in the event of a threat. Currently, emergency warnings are sent by public siren and on the radio, television, and the internet.