BERLIN (Reuters) -The German government wants to invest 10 billion euros ($12 billion) in civil protection and disaster management by 2029, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild newspaper in
Germany Plans €10 Billion Investment in Civil Protection by 2029
Germany's Civil Protection Investment Plans
BERLIN (Reuters) -The German government wants to invest 10 billion euros ($12 billion) in civil protection and disaster management by 2029, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.
"We are upgrading our civil protection," said Dobrindt, a member of the governing conservatives' Bavarian sister party.
The plans come against the backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions, as well as the threats of extremism and so-called hybrid attacks, that might include attacks on the electricity grid and disinformation campaigns for example.
Key Features of the Civil Protection Pact
The Civil Protection Pact foresees sirens to alert the public, digital warning systems for mobile phones, new shelters, and around 1,500 vehicles for fire protection, ambulance services, mobile command centres and heavy equipment, the report said.
The interior ministry did not respond to a request for confirmation and more information from Reuters.
Background and Context
According to the Bild report, the initiative also foresees disaster drills by the military, rescue services, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief and aid organizations.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the German government moved to upgrade its public shelter system. Germany has 579 shelters for around 480,000 people, many of which have not been in use since the Cold War.
($1 = 0.8542 euros)
(Writing by Friederike Heine; Editing by David Holmes)
