PURPOSE: ensure the coordinated and coherent deployment of the interoperable EU-wide eCall service and ensure the full functionality, compatibility, interoperability, continuity and conformity of the service throughout the Union
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision No 585/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the deployment of the interoperable EU-wide eCall service
CONTENT: this Decision introduces a mandatory EU-wide system to handle emergency calls sent automatically by cars or triggered manually by people in the car in case of a crash (eCalls). The eCall is expected to speed up the emergency services' response time bringing down the number of fatalities and reducing the severity of injuries suffered in road accidents. Throughout the EU.
The Decision provides that Member States must have the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) infrastructure to handle eCalls in place at least 6 months before the type-approval requirements for the corresponding in-vehicle device start to apply, and in any case no later than 1 October 2017.
The technical requirements for eCall devices, which are to be fitted to all new cars and light vans, are contained in a separate proposal.
Each Member State:
· may organise its emergency services in the way most cost effective and appropriate to its needs, including the possibility of filtering calls that are not emergency calls and may not be handled by eCall PSAPs, in particular in the case of manually triggered eCalls;
· may allow private organisations recognised by it to deal with the receipt and handling of some or all eCalls.
The Decision also contains the following points:
· data transmitted via the EU-wide eCall service are used exclusively to attain the objectives of the Decision. The processing of personal data in the context of handling eCalls must fully comply with the personal data protection rules provided for in Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and in Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council;
· the handling of eCalls should be provided free of charge to users of the EU-wide eCall service;
· eCalls can originate from anywhere in Member States’ territory, provided there is at least one public mobile wireless communications network available.
Deployment of the eCall service should be preceded by an awareness-raising campaign supported by the Commission, explaining to citizens the benefits, functionalities and data protection safeguards of the new system.
By 24 December 2015, Member States shall report to the Commission on the state of implementation of the Decision.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 23.06.2014.