Brussels, 21/12/2006 (Agence Europe) - A single telephone number - the “116000” - should soon be available throughout the EU for urgent calls about missing children. On Wednesday, a Committee of Member State representatives endorsed the Commission's initiative to reserve common freephone numbers for services of social value throughout the EU. The line devoted to missing children will be the first to come into service. “Having a single number (the 116000) will prove to be very useful for parents who lose a child when on a trip or a holiday to another European country,” said Telecommunications Commissioner Viviane Reding in a press release. Hotlines for parents wishing to report a child missing already exist in several Member States, but currently every country uses a different number. This initiative is one of the measures proposed by the Commission in July in its communication on children's rights (see EUROPE 9225). The committee's endorsement paves the way for the Commission to adopt this decision at the start of 2007. A public call will be launched at the start of next year to identify other services that may benefit from 116 numbers. (bc)