Government Amends Monaco’s Law about Emergency Plans

A new draft by the National Council has amended Monaco’s law regarding emergency plans and the organization of relief efforts in the event of a serious disaster. The amended Law No. 1283 was discussed on 7 June 2024 and provides a legal framework for Government decisions.

In order to respond appropriately to the natural risk factors in the Principality and to the specific characteristics of the Monegasque territory, the law relates to the organization of civil security, the methods of preparation and implementation of various rescue plans.

The original law, dated June 2004, states that, “The purpose of civil security is to prevent risks of all kinds and to protect people, property and the environment against accidents, disasters and catastrophes….Emergency plans provide for the measures to be taken and the rescue resources to be implemented to deal with risks of a particular nature or linked to the existence and operation of specific installations or structures.”

The law provided the public authorities with a general plan (called the ORMOSE plan) for the organization of Monegasque rescues placed under the authority of the Minister of State, which may be supplemented by operational rescue plans targeting specific structures or specific risks (white plan, red plan, etc.).

Risks have changed

In the event of a major event affecting the security of the population, this involves mobilizing, under the direction of a single authority, the public or private resources necessary for relief. However, the nature of the risks weighing on the territory has changed and may take forms other than natural disasters and catastrophes. Consequently, crises affecting civil security will be understood from the broader perspective of managing major events.

New organization called “GEVIN”

This project ultimately aims to provide the public authorities with a new organization enabling a global response to the management of major events, called the GEVIM plan.

Protection of animals is now included

Furthermore, the existence of a protected status for animals in the Principality is expressly mentioned in the amended law.