WRITTEN QUESTION E-1237/02 by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Emergency phone number in the EU.
Date: 2002-04-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, first aid, official language, telecommunications

14.11.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 277 E/165

campaign was launched in the second half of the 90s in order to raise the awareness for the EVS among
civil protection organisations. However, the EVS is not planned for the deployment of volunteers in
emergency cases.

In general, civil protection is conforming to the principle of subsidiarity. The authorities in each Member
State are responsible for the conduct of civil protection within their own country.

However European cooperation in civil protection has been developed since 1985. The Community has
taken significant action in order to face major emergencies, which may require urgent response action, and
also to improve preparedness.

Moreover the Council adopted recently the Decision of the new Community mechanism in civil protection
assistance interventions (1), supplementing the current Community action programme in civil protection.

This mechanism1 facilitates the mobilisation of
intervention teams, experts and other resources, as
required, and encompasses a monitoring and information centre and a common emergency communi-
cation and information system.

With its communication to the Council and the Parliament ‘Civil protection 0 State of preventive alert
against possible emergencies’ (2) the Commission described what available resources have been swiftly
mobilised under current programmes and actions facing in particular the threats of terrorist attacks
(in the aftermath of 11 September 2001).

A project of the same name within the framework of the civil protection action programme had a close
look to the ‘Role of Non-Governmental Organisations’ Volunteers in Civil Protection’. The various
recommendations would enable to increase and improve the role of volunteers in civil protection. For the
details please see the website of
the Commission civil protection unit: http://europa.eu.int/comm/
environment/civil/

(1) Decision 2001/792/EC, Euratom of the Council of 23 October 2001 establishing a Community mechanism to

facilitate reinforced cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions, OJ L 297, 15.11.2001.

(2) COM(2001) 707 final.

(2002/C 277 E/188)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1237/02

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(30 April 2002)

Subject: Emergency phone number in the EU

The telephone numbers which may be called in an emergency vary from one Member State to another in
the European Union. As a result, people rarely know the relevant emergency number when staying in
other Member States.

On 22 March 2002, 16 men and women from Austria were caught in a snowstorm in the Ortler region in
South Tyrol (Italy). The group leader believed that the emergency phone number ‘112’ was also valid in
South Tyrol. This was not the case. The call was answered by the carabinieri in Sondrio who only spoke
Italian and were therefore unable to help the group in distress.

This is intended as an example of how differing emergency phone numbers in the individual Member
States make it difficult to call for assistance and may even have fatal consequences.

C 277 E/166

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.11.2002

The Commission:

1. How does it view the fact that, although it was decided to introduce ‘112’ as a single European
emergency phone number (Council Decision 91/396/EEC (1) of 29 July 1991), this basic decision has
not yet been implemented?

2. Does it have any plans to change the situation?

(1) OJ L 217, 6.8.1991, p. 31.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(4 June 2002)

In principle, and pursuant to Council Decision No 91/396/EEC of 29 July 1991 (1), the single European
emergency call number is ‘112’.

According to this Decision, as indicated in Article 1(2), ‘the single European emergency call number shall
be introduced in parallel with any other existing national emergency call numbers, where this seems
appropriate’.

The ‘112’ number had to be made available by 31 December 1996 at the latest. It is now fully functional
in all the Member States. In the case referred to by the Honourable Member, the person calling the ‘112’
number did in fact get through to an agency authorised to deal with emergency calls.

However, the Community legislation imposes no obligations on the ‘112’ telephone operators as to which
languages they must use when responding to the calls. In practice, these operators use the official language
or languages of their country, plus 0 in virtually all the Member States 0 English. Other Member States
also permit the use of French, German or other languages.

(1) OJ L 217, 6.8.1991.

(2002/C 277 E/189)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1239/02

by Joan Colom i Naval (PSE), Raimon Obiols i Germà (PSE),
Anna Terrón i Cusí (PSE) and María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Water contaminated with slurry in Catalonia

(30 April 2002)

The government of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia has recently acknowledged that over the
period 1998-2000 the drinking water provided to inhabitants of 132 Catalan municipalities contained
nitrates in excess of legally acceptable levels. The contamination stemmed largely from slurry disposed of
by the numerous pig farms in the affected areas.

While Community legislation has set the maximum level of nitrates at 50 milligrams per litre of water,
results from recent tests carried out in 48 sampling points reveal that the level of nitrate concentration in
drinking water is over 100 milligrams per litre.

The facts were reported in March 2000 in Written Question E-0738/00 (1), in which specific reference is
made to the serious extent of the failure to implement Directive 91/676/CEE (2), especially in the case of
areas such as Baix Ter and Osona. The Commission replied in September 2000, referring to the
infringement proceedings brought against Spain for its failure to implement
the above directive,
particularly its failure to designate vulnerable areas and its delay in preparing a code of good practice in
agriculture. In its answer, the Commission also referred to the Spanish authorities’ commitment to resolve
the serious problems of water contamination, which had already been reported.