Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-07-04-Speech-1-201-000"
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"en.20110704.26.1-201-000"2
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"− Mr President, the Commission thinks the 112 emergency number is great!
I can assure you that the Commission will continue to closely cooperate with Member States in order to ensure high and compatible performance on national 112 systems which keep pace with ever-evolving technologies.
On behalf of the Commission and Ms Kroes, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur, Ms Rapti, on the work that she has done, and also to congratulate the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety on the work they have done on this report.
Regarding universal services, I am glad that the Commission and Parliament take very much the same line when it comes to what role the universal service should play in achieving the common objective of broadband coverage. It should provide a safety net to ensure that citizens are not prevented from participating in society through a lack of affordable access to essential telecom services.
Universal service is not the only means, nor the key driver, for achieving our ‘Broadband for all’ objectives, and it should take its appropriate, proper place within the range of instruments available to us. Given the potentially significant costs involved in ensuring broadband roll-out across Europe, we need to ensure that the burden of legal obligations does not fall unfairly on the telecom industry or result in increased consumer prices.
The flexibility given by the revised telecom rules should be exercised in a coherent manner right across the EU and take appropriate account of conditions on the ground and of the potential impact on the telecoms industry and consumers.
The Commission is therefore planning to issue a communication, as has been mentioned, on the role of universal service in a broadband environment following the public consultation last year. We have also shown our willingness to help Member States in the implementation process by developing and providing guidance on the application of the existing universal service rules, as called for in the report. We are at the moment in discussion with Member States and the industry on the contents of this guidance. We have also consulted BEREC, which is due to give its opinion very soon.
On the other hand, the Commission agrees that the roll-out of 112 services has contributed to better access for European citizens to emergency services, but we need to reap the full benefits of the revised telecom rules, notably on improving access to 112 facilities for disabled users and transmission of precise caller location information.
The Commission is committed to supporting the development, standardisation and take-up of advanced emergency communication technologies. It considers that Parliament’s proposals to define key performance indicators for the emergency services could be a good way forward in enhancing common performance standards.
Obviously, the Commission agrees that the life-saving function of the 112 emergency number cannot be effective if we do not make people truly aware that 112 protects them everywhere in the European Union. That is why the Commission will keep pushing Member States to step up their efforts in promoting 112. Improvements to the 112 system depend heavily on the Member States’ cooperation. The Commission has been actively promoting the exchange of technical expertise and best practice within the Expert Group on Emergency Access, mainly on the implementation of the revised telecom rules on 112 and next-generation emergency access, including standardisation."@en1
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