The Minister of Environment, Waters, and Forests, Mircea Fechet, participated in the Closing Conference of project SIPOCA 596 'Development of the Administrative Capacity of the Ministry of Environment for Managing Emergency Situations Generated by Specific Risks of the Ministry and Situations Regarding Environmental Conditions,' funded through the Operational Program Administrative Capacity 2014-2020.

Implemented in partnership with the Special Telecommunications Service, starting from December 2019, with an eligible value of 14.4 million lei (over 3 million euros), the project aimed to improve the MMAP's capacity to manage emergency situations generated by dangerous meteorological phenomena and associated risks, where the ministry provides support, as well as situations regarding environmental conditions.

"Managing emergency situations generated by dangerous meteorological phenomena, accidental air pollution that can lead to air quality deterioration, and environmental radioactivity represents, especially in recent years, in the context of climate change, a nationally significant activity given the frequency of occurrence and the size of the effects of these types of risks.

Emergency situation management is crucial both in society and especially within institutions and large companies. Education and training can be decisive factors when it comes to how to act in the event of an unexpected incident, and adequate preparation can save lives.

The application developed as part of the project joins the other tools used by the ministry to provide citizens with the assurance that institutions have the most modern and efficient means to monitor environmental factors and identify in advance phenomena and situations that can lead to environmental degradation," emphasized Minister Mircea Fechet.

The event was also attended by Dan-Ștefan CHIRU - State Secretary in MMAP, Major General Eng. Ionel-Sorin BĂLAN - Director of the Special Telecommunications Service, Andrei CORLAN – Chief Commissioner at the National Environmental Guard, Laurențiu Alexandru Păștinaru – President of the National Environmental Protection Agency, Elena MATEESCU - General Director of the National Meteorological Administration, as well as representatives of central and local environmental authorities, public officials with management and executive responsibilities in managing emergency situations generated by specific risks.

As part of the project, 4 extremely important studies for emergency management were conducted, a draft framework regulation on emergency management according to the provisions of Order No. 202/2016, a set of proposals for systematizing and simplifying local-level assessment and evaluation procedures, and a Single Procedure for assessing and evaluating damages – documents designed to govern the activity of managing emergency situations and risks specific to the ministry.

"STS specialists have developed a complex communications and information technology system that supports the information activities of central and local public authorities. We have established interconnections of this technical system at the level of all structures with a role in informing and alerting in managing emergency situations generated by specific ministry risks and situations regarding environmental conditions, including with the Emergency Service 112," stated Eng. Sorin Bălan, Director of STS."