2007/116/EC: Commission Decision of 15 February 2007 on reserving the national numbering range beginning with 116 for harmonised numbers for harmonised services of social value (notified under document number C(2007) 249) (Text with EEA relevance )
Date: 2007-02-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: free service, harmonisation of standards, social services, technical standard, telephone

L 49/30

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

17.2.2007

COMMISSION DECISION

of 15 February 2007
on reserving the national numbering range beginning with ‘116’ for harmonised numbers for
harmonised services of social value

(notified under document number C(2007) 249)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/116/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(4)

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to the Directive 2002/21/EC of the European
Parliament and of
the Council of 7 March 2002 on a
common regulatory framework for electronic communications
networks and services (the Framework Directive) (1), and in
particular Article 10(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

It is desirable for citizens of the Member States, including
travellers and disabled users, to be able to reach certain
services that have a social value by using the same recog-
nisable numbers in all Member States. At present there is
a patchwork of numbering and dialling schemes in the
Member States and no common numbering scheme is in
operation to reserve the same telephone numbers for
such services in the Community. Community action is
therefore required for that purpose.

The harmonisation of numbering resources is necessary
to allow these services provided in different Member
States to be accessed by end-users using the same
combination ‘same number — same
number. The
service’ will ensure that a specific service in which ever
Member State it is provided is always associated with a
specific number within the Community. This will provide
the service with a pan-European identity to the benefit of
the European citizen who will know that
the same
number dialled will give access to the same type of
service in different Member States. This measure will
encourage pan-European services to develop.

In order to reflect the social function of the services in
question, the harmonised numbers should be freephone
numbers, without this meaning that operators would be
their own
obliged to carry calls to 116 numbers at
expense. The freephone nature of
is
therefore an essential component of the harmonisation
being carried out.

the numbers

It
is necessary to attach conditions closely related to
controlling the nature of the service provided to ensure
that the harmonised numbers are used for the provision
of the particular type of service covered by the Decision.

It may be necessary that specific conditions are attached
to the right of use for a specific harmonised number, for
example, that the associated service should be provided
24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

for

the

authorities

responsible

In accordance with the Framework Directive, national
the
are
regulatory
management of national numbering plans and for
assignment of national numbering
controlling
resources to specific undertakings.
In accordance with
Article 6 and Article 10 of Directive 2002/20/EC
the Council of
of
7 March 2002 on the authorisation of electronic
communications networks and services (Authorisation
Directive) (2), conditions may be attached to the use of
numbers and penalties may be applied in case of non
compliance with those conditions.

the European Parliament and of

The list of specific numbers in the numbering range
beginning with ‘116’ should be regularly updated in
accordance with the procedure in Article 22(3) of the
Framework Directive. Member States
should make
known the existence of such numbers in a manner that
is accessible to all interested parties, for example, via their
websites.

The Commission will consider revision or further adap-
tation of the present Decision in the light of experience
gained, based on reports provided to the Commission by
the Member States,
in particular whether a specific
service for which a number has been reserved has
developed on a pan-European basis.

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

The measures provided for
accordance with the opinion of
Committee,

in this Decision are in
the Communications

(1) OJ L 108, 24.4.2002, p. 33.

(2) OJ L 108, 24.4.2002, p. 21.

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 49/31

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

(a)

service provides

the
reporting tool to citizens, or any combination thereof;

information, or assistance, or a

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

(b) the service is open to all citizens without any requirement

of prior registration;

The numbering range beginning with ‘116’ shall be reserved in
for
national numbering plans
harmonised services of social value.

for harmonised numbers

(c)

the service is not time-limited;

The specific numbers within this numbering range and the
services for which each number is reserved are listed in the
Annex.

Article 2

Harmonised service of social value

‘Harmonised service of social value’
is a service meeting a
common description to be accessed by individuals via a
freephone number, which is potentially of value to visitors
from other countries and which answers a specific social
in particular which contributes to the well-being or
need,
safety of citizens, or particular groups of citizens, or helps
citizens in difficulty.

Article 3

Reservation of

specific numbers within the

‘116’

numbering range

Member States shall ensure that:

(a) numbers listed in the Annex are used only for the services

for which they have been reserved;

(b) numbers within the ‘116’ numbering range that are not

listed in the Annex are not used;

(c)

the number 116112 is neither assigned nor used for any
service.

(d) there is no payment, or payment commitment as a pre-

requisite to use the service;

(e)

the following activities are excluded during a call: adver-
tisement, entertainment, marketing and selling, using the
call for the future selling of commercial services.

In addition, Member States shall attach specific conditions to
the right of use of harmonised numbers as set out in the Annex.

Article 5

Assignment of harmonised numbers

1. Member States shall take all necessary measures to ensure
that as from the 31 August 2007 the competent National
Regulatory Authority can assign the numbers referred to in
the Annex.

2.
The listing of a specific number and the associated
harmonised service of social value does not carry an obligation
for Member States to ensure that the service in question is
provided within their territory.

Once a number has been listed in the Annex, Member
3.
the specific
States shall make known at national
number
the associated
harmonised service of social value, and that applications for
the rights of use for this specific number may be submitted.

the provision of

is available

level

that

for

shall

all
4. Member States
harmonised numbers, with
harmonised
services of social value, available in their territory is maintained.
The register shall be easily accessible to the public.

that
a
associated

ensure
their

register of

Article 4

Conditions attached to the right of use for harmonised
numbers

Article 6

Monitoring

Member States shall attach the following conditions to the right
of use of harmonised numbers for the provision of harmonised
services of social value:

Member States shall report periodically to the Commission on
the actual use of numbers listed in the Annex for the provision
of the related services within their territory.

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Official Journal of the European Union

17.2.2007

Article 7

Addressees

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 15 February 2007.

For the Commission

Viviane REDING
Member of the Commission

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 49/33

ANNEX

List of reserved numbers to harmonised services of social value

Number

Service for which this number is reserved

Specific conditions attached to the
right of use for this number

116000

Hotlines for missing children