Declaration on the need for accessible 112 emergency services

The European Parliament adopted a declaration on the need for accessible 112 emergency services.

Members recall that most EU emergency services remain accessible only using voice, excluding millions of citizens from a life-saving service, such as deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-disabled users and in situations where discretion is needed in relation to the call.

Consequently, Parliament calls on the Commission to promote the development of fully accessible and reliable Next Generation 112 services independent from devices and networks, using the Total Conversation concept. It also calls on the Commission to put forward legislative and standardisation proposals to make 112 services fully accessible to all citizens, giving priority to sign language services using video technologies and text-based services to ensure the inclusion of deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-disabled users.