The new report on the implementation of the European emergency call number '112', published by the European Commission on Monday 11 February, shows that calls to '112' increased by 5% during 2018 while the total number of emergency calls decreased by 2.5%.
According to this document, presented on the occasion of the European 112 Day, 140 million calls to this number were recorded in the EU in 2018 - an increasing number every year - representing 48% of all emergency calls.
While these results show a growing success of '112' compared to other emergency numbers, the report nevertheless reveals a number of potential implementation problems with regard to equivalent access to emergency services for people with disabilities.
Speaking on the subject, Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, assured that the Commission would continue "engaging actively with relevant Member States authorities" in order to ensure "equivalent access to emergency services for everybody".
"Soon, people with disabilities will be sure to have equivalent access to the single European emergency number 112 to save lives, regardless of the Member State they’re in and on an equal footing with others", said Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Social Affairs. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot - intern)