Brussels, 25/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 20 November, the European Commission entered a new stage in infringement procedure against Italy where, despite a Court of Justice ruling on 15 January 2009, emergency services can still not locate people dialling 112 on mobile phones. The number 112 is the single European number for emergency services. The Italian authorities had stated that they planned to set a provisional system in place that would make information on the caller available within a relatively short time, but this system is not expected to be operational until September 2010. Due to this delay, the Court's ruling cannot be carried out and the Commission has therefore decided to step up legal action. The Commission has thus sent Italy a reasoned opinion, which is the second and last stage in the procedure before further referral to the Court of Justice. If the member state in question does not comply with European legislation in force, the Court will be compelled to rule on application of financial penalties against Italy for failure to comply with a Court ruling. In parallel, the Commission has put an end to legal action against Lithuania, still in respect of the emergency number 112. Emergency services of these countries now have access to information on the location of those who dial 112 for any call made on a mobile phone. (I.L./transl.jl)