Press Release

Press Contact:
Gary Machado, Secretary of EENA's Advisory Board
+32 (0)2 534 97 89, gm@eena.org

Olivier Paul-Morandini, President and Founder
info@eena.org

Brussels, July 17, 2008

The European Emergency Number Association (EENA) announced today a new ongoing Europe-wide 112 Community Education project to promote awareness of the European Emergency Number - 112. The project will engage in a number of promotional efforts to educate the general public and promote specific educational outreach efforts for children, parents, teachers, and senior citizens.

The project will target mobile citizens and children in particular. "While ALL citizens need to be educated and trained about how and when to call 112, children are particularly in need of education and outreach," stated Olivier Paul-Morandini, President and Founder of EENA. "They can be the most vulnerable victims of an emergency: they might be alone and frightened, they might not know how to react or behave, or they simply ignore the existence of emergency numbers, which they could call to receive help and assistance. Children may, at times, be the only one to call to get help for a parent." EENA Advisory Board Chair, Demetrios Pyrros, added, "The steps that EENA is prepared to take under this 112 Community Education Project will increase the percentage of people who know about the European Emergency Number - 112. Our whole emergency communications and response service today is facing great challenges. It is critical that we educate our communities When, Why and How to dial 112."

Last month, to raise public awareness of 112 ahead of the summer holidays, EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding launched a dedicated 112 website (http://ec.europa.eu/112) and held a public exhibition at the Berlaymont. "The millions of EU citizens going on holidays this summer only need to remember one emergency number: 112," she said. "While 112 is now available in all but one country across the EU, I call on Member States to make 112 better known and more effective. All EU citizens should know they can dial 112 to reach emergency services."

"As more and more citizens travel across the EU, a single number which works across the EU (and which does not replace national numbers) is critical," stated Diana Wallis, Vice-President of the European Parliament and Member of the EENA Advisory Board, who spoke together with Commissioner Reding during the 112 public exhibition. "We need a large publicity and educational campaign to make sure that all Europeans know this number," she added. "The latest Eurobarometer survey indicated that only one in five Europeans (22%) could spontaneously identify 112 as the number to call for emergency services anywhere in the EU. Seventeen years after the creation of the European emergency number 112 by the European Union, it is very disappointing that nearly 80% of Europeans remain unaware of the 3 digits that can save their lives everywhere in the EU."

The EENA 112 Community Education project aims at reducing the lack of information regarding the use of the single European emergency number 112 and at providing children, their parents and educators, and other citizens with an efficient set of tools. The efforts will be led by EENA's newly organised Communication Committee, Chaired by corporate EENA Advisory Board members Andrew Hawkins of Microsoft and Michael Amarosa of TruePosition. Activities for this project will include expanding and improving EENA's website to collect information regarding the use of 112 in each EU Member State and provide continuing resources for individuals, school classes and community groups. Education efforts will include outreach for the speech and hearing impaired and multilingual materials will be made available to accommodate the multiple languages spoken in the various countries across Europe.

ABOUT EENA: EENA, the European Emergency Number Association, was set up in 1999 as a non-profit association registered in Belgium to serve as a neutral discussion platform for emergency services, industry and informed citizens with the aim of getting efficient, interoperable and harmonised emergency telecommunications in accordance with citizens' requirements. EENA has been advocating to authorities the issues related to the 112 as more and more EU citizens travel for business or leisure. EENA is also promoting the establishment of a general, pan-European, multilingual, accessible, simplified and efficient system for alerting citizens about imminent or developing emergencies. The EENA Advisory Board is composed of more than 30 major political, association, and industry leaders. More information at www.eena.org