'EUROPE DIRECT' INFORMATION SERVICE.

• Position: International Pages - Brief Article

Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Citizenship, launched the "Europe Direct" service on 25 May, which offers free telephone helplines in each EU Member State, a direct response service via email and links to information and advice facilities at national, regional and local levels for more complicated queries.The call centre is a pilot service, which is expected to improve over time. A team of 23 operators covering all 11 official languages of the European Union staffs the centre, which is initially expected to handle some 25,000 queries per month, including phone calls, e-mails, letters and faxes. Opening hours are from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm. A single free telephone number available Europe-wide is...