EU reserves phone numbers for non urgent medical help and victims of crime

The European Commission said today it is reserving phone numbers for victims of crime and non-emergency medical assistance - 116 006 and 116 117 respectively.

"People are most vulnerable when they are away from home, and Europe-wide numbers can make a real difference when things go wrong. The two numbers reserved today will, when operational in all EU countries, offer support to people in difficulty if they are victims of crime or if they need non-emergency medical help " said Viviane Reding, EU Telecoms Commissioner. "

The 116 006 will help victims of crime by informing them of their rights and how to use these, offering emotional support, while also referring victims to relevant organisations. As a single access point, it will provide information about local police and criminal justice proceedings, possibilities for compensation and insurance matters, and other sources of help for victims of crime

The non-emergency medical call service (116 117) will direct callers to medical assistance when the need is urgent but not life-threatening, especially outside normal office hours, during the weekend or public holidays. The aim is to connect the caller to a skilled call-handler or a qualified medical practitioner who could provide on-call medical assistance or advice, particularly when the caller's usual source of medical assistance is not available.

Today's decision requires EU countries to make sure that the two new numbers can be assigned by national telecoms regulators from 15 April 2010.

In July 2006, the European Commission proposed to reserve a common telephone number to report missing children (116 000) and another for children to call when they need help (116 111) as part of a coordinated EU strategy on the rights of the child. On 15 February 2007 and 29 October 2007 respectively the Commission decided to reserve 116 000 and 116 111 (as well as 116 123 for emotional support helplines) in all EU Member States. The decision obliges EU countries to make "116 numbers" available, but does not oblige them to assign the numbers to a service provider or ensure provision of the services.