WRITTEN QUESTION E-2761/02 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Languages used to answer 112 calls.
Date: 2002-10-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, first aid, multilingualism, official language, telephone, use of languages

C 222 E/16

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

18.9.2003

(2003/C 222 E/018)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2751/02

by Michael Cashman (PSE) to the Commission

(24 September 2002)

Subject: Travellers Cheques

Is the Commission aware that, whilst euro Travellers Cheques are being promoted as a safe and sensible
way of carrying one’s holiday money, this is not the case in some countries, such as Germany and Majorca,
where people have found that shops and businesses would not take them, claiming that they had not even
seen them before? Moreover, is the Commission aware that even foreign banks demand a commission of
18-20 % on euro Travellers Cheques?

Can the Commission state what legislation and regulations are currently in place to protect citizens against
such conduct on the part of business and banks and also on the part of agents such as post offices that
strongly advise people to take Travellers Cheques notwithstanding? Can the Commission confirm that it
will look into this matter and comment on whether it plans to take any action on this issue?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(16 October 2002)

A traveller’s cheque is a private payment instrument issued by a financial institution which represents a
sum of money. It can be used for purchases in shops, hotels, etc. or converted into cash at a bank or
specialised agency.

It is a payment instrument which is not legal tender. This means in particular that no bank is obliged to
accept a traveller’s cheque. If a bank does accept it, it is free to set the level of charges for the service.

There is no specific Community legislation on cheques or traveller’s cheques and the Commission does not
intend to take action in this field.

The issues raised can be dealt with by means of general legislation. Advertising by issuers can be assessed
in the light of the legislation on misleading advertising (1). Information on charges for using traveller’s
cheques comes under national legislation on advertising the price of services.

(1) Council Directive 84/450/EEC of 10 September 1984 relating to the approximation of the laws, regulations and

administrative provisions of the Member States concerning misleading advertising (cid:1) OJ L 250, 19.9.1984.

(2003/C 222 E/019)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2761/02

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(1 October 2002)

Subject: Languages used to answer 112 calls

In its answer to Written Question E-0176/02 (1), the Commission indicates that ‘EU law lays down no
obligations as regards the languages operators use to answer 112 calls. In practice, operators answer in
their country’s official language(s) and, in nearly all Member States, in English too’.

During a seminar held in Luxembourg on 10/11 May 2002 on the use of the emergency telephone
number, it appeared that the ability to speak more than one language (cid:1) or rather the lack thereof (cid:1) of
callers and operators was still causing problems. In instances where the caller and operator do not
understand each other properly when emergency calls are made, much valuable time is lost.

18.9.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 222 E/17

One of the seminar’s conclusions was that it would desirable for the Member States to take the requisite
measures to ensure that 112 calls were answered in at least the eleven official languages of the European
Union. The proposals put forward with a view to meeting this requirement ranged from the use of
commercial translation services to automatic translation.

At a meeting held on 8 and 9 March 2002 in Rosersberg, Sweden, to discuss the efficient response to
emergency calls, Lars Hedström, Head of the Swedish Rescue Services Agency, also referred to the
language aspect with regard to 112 calls. The establishment of a network of national call centres and a
contactable switchboard in every Member State capable of giving appropriate assistance was just one of the
possible solutions to the language problem.

Is the Commission aware that language problems occur when callers dial the 112 emergency number in
Europe and that such problems may result in valuable time being wasted in emergency situations? If so,
will it seek solutions thereto (cid:1) in whatever way (cid:1) so that the 112 switchboards are able to answer callers
in at least the eleven official languages of the European Union? If not, why not?

(1) OJ C 172 E, 18.7.2002, p. 164.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(14 November 2002)

In its answer to Written Question No 0176/02 by the Honourable Member, the Commission indicated that
operators answered calls in the official language or languages of their country as well as, in almost all the
Member States, in English.

The Commission is of course in favour of developing the language skills of emergency call operators, and
is aware that language problems can in some cases affect the speed and quality of the emergency response.
it believes the cost of training such operators to be able to answer calls in all eleven EU
However,
it would certainly be desirable for
languages would be disproportionate to the results.
operators to develop skills in the Union’s most widely spoken languages in addition to English. It is vital
that emergency call centres be located near to the sources of 112 calls so that operators can respond
appropriately and rapidly to requests for assistance, and this inevitably limits the options for centralising
calls at national level, for instance.

In practice,

Also, the Commission is not convinced of the usefulness of automated answering systems, on two
grounds. Firstly, the current technology can in no way guarantee a reliable and rapid response: voice
recognition systems, for instance, are far from being sufficiently developed to take over the operator’s role.
Secondly, the Commission believes human operators are central to the system: anyone dialling 112 would
prefer to speak to a person rather than a machine, especially in the emergency situations which are the
subject of 112 calls.

(2003/C 222 E/020)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2797/02

by Caroline Lucas (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(7 October 2002)

Subject: Low Frequency Active Sonar

Pursuant to the Commission’s response to my previous question E-2442/01 (1): Low Frequency Active
Sonar (LFAS) is applied by the US Navy for scientific, commercial and military purposes in the Atlantic
Ocean, including the area near the coast of the Azores, within the territorial seas of Portugal. Within or
even outside the territorial seas of Portugal the use of LFAS may have significant adverse impact on whales
and dolphins living in Portuguese territorial waters. Hence, Portugal
is obliged to take the requisite
measures to avoid the deliberate disturbance of cetacean species which are strictly protected under Council
Directive 92/43/EEC (2). Furthermore, there is evidence that similar LFAS systems are in development in
France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and by NATO.