No C 157/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 15. 6. 91 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Decision on the harmonization of the international telephone access 
code in the Community 
(91/C 157/07) 
COM(91) 165 final — SYN 339 
(Submitted by the Commission on 23 May 1991) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 100a 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
In cooperation with the European Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas the telephone service is the most important tele­
communications means in the Community and easy 
access to international telephone services is vital for 
European citizens and European businesses; 
Whereas at present different international telephone 
access codes are required in the Member States for 
access to public telephone services; 
Whereas this imposes an undue burden with regard to 
the use of these services on citizens travelling or working 
in Member States; 
Whereas access to telephone services is provided for in 
all Member States by law, regulation or administrative 
action; whereas continuing divergent developments in 
access to international telephone services due to different 
international telephone access codes must be avoided; 
Whereas, therefore, the harmonization of the inter­
national telephone access code in the Community would promote the establishment and functioning of the 
internal market; 
Whereas the European Conference of Post and Tele­
communications (CEPT) has recommended in its rec­
ommendation T/SF 1 of 1976 the use of the prefix 00 as 
the standard international telephone access code; 
Whereas this recommendation has only been followed by 
a limited number of Member States; 
Whereas for all Member States it will be possible to 
devise a plan to make the number 00 available; 
Whereas several Member States have already introduced 
the number 00 as the international telephone access code 
or could do it by 1992; 
Whereas, however, for a limited number of Member 
States this could cause a substantial burden since they 
would need to make unplanned changes or to advance 
plans already made; whereas, therefore, flexibility is 
needed in the time schedule for introduction in these 
Member States; 
Whereas the introduction of the number 00 will be 
possible by 1998, even in Member States where diffi­
culties exist; 
Whereas in those cases interim measures should be 
taken, in order to facilitate access to international 
telephone services in the meantime; 
Whereas specific arrangements for making calls between 
adjacent locations across borders between Member 
States may be established or continued, 
15. 6. 91 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 157/7 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1 
Member States shall ensure that the number 00 is 
introduced in public telephone networks as the standard 
international telephone access code. 
Article 2 
The standard international telephone access code shall be 
introduced by 31 December 1992 at the latest, except as 
provided for in Article 3. 
Article 3 
Where particular technical, financial, or organizational 
difficulties in a Member State make the introduction of 
the standard international telephone access code by the 
date laid down in Article 2 impossible, that Member 
State shall submit to the Commission the relevant infor­
mation. 
The Member State concerned shall communicate to the 
Commission, with adequate explanations and justifi­
cation, a new date for the introduction of the standard 
international telephone access code which, however, 
shall not be later than 31 December 1998. 
Article 4 
Where Member States invoke Article 3, Member States 
shall nevertheless ensure that the 00 number range is 
freed from other uses by 31 December 1995, in antici-
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 
thereof, 
Having regard to the conclusion of protocols on 
financial and technical cooperation between the 
European Economic Community and non-member 
Mediterranean countries hereinafter referred to as 
'protocols', pation of the full implementation of this number as the 
international telephone access code. 
Member States shall ensure that from this date onwards, 
subscribers attempting to dial 00 are provided with a 
free-of-charge recorded announcement in an appropriate 
number of Community languages, advising of the 
specific international telephone access code still in use. 
Article 5 
1. Special dialling arrangements for making calls 
between adjacent locations across borders between 
Member States may be established or continued. 
In these cases Member States shall ensure that where the 
standard international telephone access code is dialled, 
the call is nevertheless correctly routed to its destination 
and that the same tariffs as under these arrangements are 
applied. 
2. Where particular technical, financial, or organiz­
ational difficulties make it initially impossible to comply 
with paragraph 1, Member States shall inform the 
Commission and ensure that the necessary changes are 
made as quickly as possible. 
3. The telephone subscribers in the locations 
concerned shall be fully informed of the arrangements. 
Article 6 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Whereas the protocols provide for operations financed 
from the Community budget in the form of grants, 
special loans, contributions to the constitution of risk 
capital and loans from the own resources of the Proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) on the application of the protocols on financial and 
technical cooperation concluded by the Community with non-member Mediterranean countries 
(91/C 157/08) 
COM(91) 184 final 
(Submitted by the Commission on 3 June 1991)