Brussels, 14/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - On 14 September EPP MEPs Ádám Kósa (Hungary) and Marian-Jean Marinescu (Romania) presented a written declaration to the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg. This declaration aims to provide equal access to European emergency services for persons with disabilities. The initiative has the backing of the four different political groups. The written declaration calls on the European Commission to put forward a legislative proposal to ensure free and unhindered access to the 112 emergency service. This will particularly involve developing access to emergency services based on the use of video technologies linking sign language and real-time interpretation for people who have difficulties understanding spoken language. Kósa is the only deaf MEP at Parliament and underlined the importance of such an initiative: “In emergency situations, it is quite possible that a disabled person is the only person present and has to contact the emergency services.” (I.L./transl.fl)