Lithuania to test emergency warning system as replacement delayed by at least 1.5 years

Lithuania will test its existing emergency warning system on Thursday, though a planned upgrade has been delayed by at least a year and a half, LRT reports.

The current system, which includes sirens, mobile alerts via the LT72 app, and broadcasts on national broadcaster LRT, is intended to reach over two-thirds of the population if all components function. However, a 2024 test revealed that 2.6% of sirens failed to activate.

Evaldas Tamašauskas of the Fire Protection and Rescue Department acknowledged operational challenges, noting that the system requires significant human resources to draft, send, and coordinate alerts with municipalities. “It’s not fast,” he said.

Lithuania was among the first countries to adopt an emergency warning system 14 years ago, but maintaining compatibility with modern technology has grown increasingly difficult, according to Egidijus Šilanskas, director of NT Service, a private-sector partner. “The core remains the same, but ensuring seamless integration is getting harder,” he explained, raising concerns about potential malfunctions or errors.

The Interior Ministry aims to replace the fragmented system with a unified, multi-channel platform operated with “one-button activation,” said Vice-Minister Ana Burkovskienė. A €6.5 million budget has been allocated, with implementation expected in 1.5 years—though Šilanskas cautioned that meeting the deadline may prove difficult. “In theory, it’s a good plan, but executing it all at once is complex,” he said.

The State Audit Office reported last year that the upgrade was already two years behind schedule. Šilanskas remarked, “Better late than never.” Future plans include alerts reaching phones even when switched off or out of network coverage, with satellite integration if funding allows.

Sirens, described as a “last-resort safety net” by Burkovskienė, were successfully used this year to warn residents in Kaunas District about flooding. A €12 million expansion aims to ensure 75% of the population can hear them. Meanwhile, Estonia’s recent test—during a drone incident in March—sparked panic after an erroneous “air threat: take shelter” alert was sent nationwide due to human error. Lithuanian officials suggested a shared system could help avoid such mistakes.