The system will replace the traditional emergency siren and is similar to the system that exists in the US, which was tested recently.
According to the EU, the lack of early warnings around the time of the Westminster and Paris attacks, and the risk to public safety posed by unofficial and inaccurate communications, has prompted the decision.
The new European wide alert system, called Reverse112, has now been approved to be introduced in all member states in the EU, including Ireland.
Each state will have 42 months after the legislation comes into force to rollout the system and each government will be asked to work with mobile phone providers to help implement it.