Brussels, 15/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is concerned at delays in Member States introducing emergency service infrastructure to answer eCalls (the European emergency telephone number 112). All new cars in Europe are to be equipped with eCall technology as soon as 2009, under an action plan agreed by the Commission and industry in February this year. Industry is well on the way to enabling your car to call the emergency services, but infrastructure upgrades needed to handle the call are way behind schedule, explained the European Commission in a Communication published on Wednesday. “I am generally pleased with the progress of eCall, in particular on the industry side. However, if EU Member States don't react, and fail to invest in the necessary emergency service infrastructure, we shall face a delay in the introduction of eCall technology”, said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. In the event of a crash, eCall technology will call the emergency services - which can be reached throughout Europe under the single European emergency number 112 - at a “Public Service Answering Point” (PSAP), and report your exact location. An eCall may be triggered automatically, or manually by someone in the vehicle. The European Commission urges the national and regional governments to act and to invest in the necessary emergency care for eCall, with the view to a pan-European launch in 2009.
Reding took advantage of his visit to the International Motor Show in Frankfurt to meet project managers of PReVENT, a project co-funded by the European automotive industry and the European Commission to develop and demonstrate preventive road safety applications and technologies. The total investment into PReVENT's is estimated at €55 million, of which the Commission is contributing €29.8 million. It has 55 partners, including industry (12 car manufacturers and 16 parts suppliers) public authorities and R&D institutes. Commissioner Reding also launched in Frankfurt the “Intelligent Car” project, one of the flagship projects of the European Commission's i2010 initiative, which aims to harness Information and Communication Technologies to enhance economic growth and employment in Europe (see EUROPE 8959).