The chairman of the conference of interior ministers, Bavaria’s head of department Joachim Herrmann (CSU), urgently demands clarity from the federal government about the financing of the siren network expansion.
The chairman of the conference of interior ministers, Bavaria’s head of department Joachim Herrmann (CSU), urgently demands clarity from the federal government about the financing of the siren network expansion. “It could happen at any time that we have to warn our population of serious dangers. A siren network that covers as much area as possible is indispensable.”
Not much has happened since the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, which was more than a year ago. “Even then, everyone across parties and countries agreed that the warning infrastructure must be expanded and improved quickly,” said Herrmann. According to him, time is of the essence: the funds provided under the old federal government to promote the expansion of sirens have already been budgeted for. Bavaria alone needs between 130 and 200 million euros, i.e. at least ten times the funding amount of 13.4 million euros allocated to the Free State. “We have already received far more funding applications than can be approved with the available funds,” explained the CSU politician. The promised funds for a rapid siren expansion would have to arrive in the countries as soon as possible.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior recently announced that according to previous planning, no further federal funds are planned for the installation of sirens for the coming year. According to this, only the period in which the 88 million euros can be accessed from a government siren funding program that was launched in 2021 will be extended.
The funding program has led to increased demand from the few siren manufacturers. Since modern sirens also require semiconductors, which are currently in short supply on the world market, further delays in deliveries must be expected. After the end of the Cold War, the sirens used to warn the population were removed in many places.