EC To Refer Romania To European Court Of Justice Over 112 Emergency Call Service

“Although some efforts have been made by both Bulgaria and Romania on the implementation of the single European emergency number 112, we cannot be complacent when it comes to the safety of our citizens. Any delay on the implementation of 112 can put the lives and health of travelers at risk. I call on Romania and Bulgaria to fully and quickly implement number 112", said EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding.

EU Telecoms rules require Member States to make sure that people can call the single European emergency number 112 free of charge nationwide from any type of phone. They must also ensure that 112 calls are answered and handled efficiently and that operators provide information on the caller's location to emergency services.

The Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Romania in November 2007, and one to Bulgaria in October 2007.  In April 2008, both countries received a last warning on the proper functioning of 112.

The European Commission stressed that In Romania, caller location, which helps emergency services find accident victims, is not provided for all calls.

However, in view of ongoing efforts in both states to make 112 fully operational by the end of the year, the Commission is delaying the execution of the decision by three months to give them a last chance to address the matter. Failure to fully comply in the next three months will lead to the cases being filed with the European Court of Justice, the Commission said.

"I expect the many political commitments made by Bulgarian and Romanian authorities to guarantee the full functioning of 112 to be taken very seriously. Their deadline for making 112 fully operational was 1 January 2007, so today's decision to bring both countries before the Court of Justice will be immediately executed if there is the slightest doubt about full respect of EU law at the end of the year," Commissioner Reding said.

On Tuesday, Romanian communication minister said the country will have caller location for mobile 112 calls by the end of November.

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