TELECOMMUNICATIONS : TIME TO PROMOTE AWARENESS OF 112 EMERGENCY NUMBER.

Created in 1991, the European emergency number 112 appears to go unnoticed. Only one European out of five (22%) could spontaneously identify it. The inhabitants of the new member states are in general better informed: 6% in Denmark and Greece against 56% in the Czech Republic have received in formation during the last 12 months. These results, taken from a Eurobarometer survey published on 11 February, push the European Commission to plan other actions beyond the infringement proceedings launched against some member states which are not correctly applying EU legislation on the matter. In fact, 150 million Europeans travel each year and, if properly established, 112 could save thousands of lives.

Following a call from the European Parliament in September 2007, the Commission is using the date 11 February (11/2) to raise awareness about 112, and to put pressure on member states to improve the number's visibility. It plans to publish, before summer, the result of an investigation carried out by national authorities on the functioning of 112.

The European Parliament and the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) have continually criticised the poor application of 112 at national level (see Europolitics 3365). Although 26 of the 27 member states have introduced the possibility of calling the number for free from a fixed-line telephone or a mobile, numerous problems still exist. Bulgaria, where the number is inaccessible, is the subject of infringement proceedings. Alternatively, the main problem is linked to locating calls. Telecoms operators are obliged to provide this information to the emergency services in order to...