Tour Operators And Travel Agents Called To Join “112” Emergency Number Campaign

The European Commission and the European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Associations (ECTAA) are asking tour operators and travel agents to promote the pan-European emergency number “112” on their websites, on e-tickets, and at major tourist destinations.

112 is the European emergency number, reachable from fixed and mobile phones, free of charge, everywhere in the EU.

The 112 number links the caller to the relevant emergency service (local police, fire brigade or medical services) and allows them to speak to an operator in a choice of European languages. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The emergency number 112 is now operational in all EU Member States alongside existing national emergency numbers (like 999 or 110). Denmark, Finland, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Sweden have decided to make 112 their sole or main national emergency number. 112 is also being used in countries outside the EU, such as Switzerland, Croatia, Montenegro and Turkey.

According to a report on how each Member State is implementing 112:

• 51% of all EU citizens say that they would call 112 in the event of an emergency in their own country, up from 47% in 2012;

• In five countries, 50% or more respondents spontaneously identify 112 as the number to call for emergency services from anywhere in the EU: Poland (57%), Slovakia (55%), Finland (54%), Luxembourg (53%) and the Czech Republic (50%).

• The proportion of respondents who would call 112 in their own country ranges from 96% in Sweden to 2% in Greece.

• English can be used in 25 European countries besides UK, Ireland and Malta;

• 14 countries (besides Belgium, France and Luxembourg) can deal with calls in French: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain;

• German can be used 12 countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Romania (in addition to Austria, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg);

• In the UK, emergency call centers can rely on interpretation services covering 170 languages, while in France a similar service can deal with 40 languages.
  

  Example of how the 112 emergency number was provided through the in-flight magazine for Brussels Airlines.