Stavros Asthenidis: "The signing of the contract for the National Crisis Management System and National Database shields the country and civil protection with new technologies" - Κοινωνία της Πληροφορίας Μ.Α.Ε.

PRESS RELEASES

Stavros Asthenidis: “The signing of the contract for the National Crisis Management System and National Database shields the country and civil protection with new technologies”

March 13, 2025

REPUBLICATION OF A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE MINISTRY OF CLIMATE CRISIS AND CIVIL PROTECTION

“The use of new technologies and artificial intelligence was one of the primary objectives that we set from the beginning in the Ministry”, stressed the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, at the event held for the signing of the contract for the National Crisis Management System and National Database.

This is a sub-project within the Integrated Risk Management and Prevention Information System, worth a total of €72.3 million, “the most important project of the AIGIS programme”.

The project is the core of the digital infrastructure in natural disaster management and prevention. By creating an advanced information system, based on advanced technologies and AI, all Civil Protection agencies will be able to access high quality and accurate information and data for decision making, organisation of available resources and optimal management of all incidents. This will ensure immediate information and timely coordination in the field and ensure an optimal response to emergencies.

“This part in artificial intelligence and digitalisation is one of the most important and enables the Civil Protection and the Ministry to go into the next era”, said Mr Kikilias noting that “the use of new technologies, artificial intelligence and algorithms is the most important initiative in the framework of AIGIS that “will decisively enhance the capabilities of our agents operating in the field: The Officers of the Fire Brigade, the Civil Protection, the Police, the Coast Guard, the Armed Forces, the Foresters, and all those who decide in a second and try to save lives”.

“I would like to confess that in 2023, when I took over the political leadership of the Ministry, along with the daily routine of crisis management, I was asked by the Prime Minister to implement the most demanding and most ambitious and large programme in terms of hardware, software and supplies in the history of the country’s Civil Protection,” the Minister said, and added: “I am very excited today because basically within two seasons, we are completing in the Ministry of Civil Protection all the tendering procedures. We have tendered programmes amounting to €1.9 billion and by the end of March we will have exceeded €800 million in contracts. And Greece’s example will soon be emulated by other countries around the world because I think we are one of the first to evolve Civil Protection to such an extent that with all the data and in a minute of time, our Officers who make very critical decisions take them in the most correct and most appropriate way.”

The Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Evangelos Tournas said: “It is an important tool. The information even exists in open sources. It exists and we are constantly acquiring new information. We have the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, the Observatory, the hydrological, the seismological institutes. We have various systems and other new ones are coming in for the fire brigade, for the National Crisis Management Coordination Centre (ESKEDIK), and for the Ministry of Environment and Energy, and for all the related ministries. And of course in the rehabilitation part of the relief, it will help us through this programme. We have done plenty and we need a lot more. We have the communications, we have systems through AEGIS that are running. Above all, I would like to thank the Minister because with his tenacity and the pressure he exerts, he has initiated all the procedures to complete the programmes that strengthen the Fire Brigade, but also the entire Civil Protection mechanism that we need to deal with natural disasters that are increasingly frequent due to the climate crisis.”

For his part, the deputy commander of ESKEDIK, Chief Admiral Anastasios Michalopoulos said: “On behalf of the operational arm of Civil Protection, I am particularly happy because we are adding another tool to the quiver of weapons we have at our disposal to deal with risks, the National Database. An integrated risk management and prevention information system through which we gain the ability to have a spatial and temporal assessment of the probability of an event that may endanger human lives. As well as assessing the magnitude and consequences of the losses, whether in terms of human lives, natural capital and infrastructure. I believe that an achievement, which through artificial intelligence will enable us to receive information that is both accurate and timely so that the positive effect that we always expect when we try to operate within a short period of time is effective.”

The CEO of the “Information Society SA”, Stavros Asthenidis, stressed among others: “We are really pleased to participate as the “Information Society SA” in the implementation of a very important project for Greece, for the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, for the Fire Brigade and for all those who take care of our security. It is a series of projects that I believe will now shield the country and civil protection with new technologies that are absolutely necessary to deal with what we see every day, in a period of crises that are not only environmental and climatic, but also of another kind. All such expenditure on either civil protection, climate change technology systems, or cyber security should now be considered defence expenditure. Because what we are living in now is a hybrid war; everybody understands that and we have to be prepared for what is coming. And I think the actions of the Ministry are fully coordinated in this direction and are the most appropriate, so that we are ready to face all these challenges. I thank the Minister very much for his cooperation throughout this period. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister of Digital Governance, Mr Papastergiou, for helping us as the “Information Society SA” to meet our task.”

The CEO of Nova ICT, Alexandros Bregannis said: “We are constantly working to bring innovation to every aspect of everyday life. In cooperation with the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, we are implementing a Holistic Crisis Management and Prevention System, which, through the use of innovative technologies and artificial intelligence, will enable the State to upgrade the operational preparedness of Greece against natural disasters (floods, fires, etc.) and man-made activities (e.g. industrial accidents). We are particularly proud that, once again, we are using cutting-edge technology to support the valuable work of the State in such an important area as Civil Protection.”