The European Commission has adopted a recommendation addressing the EU Member States and asking them to call on the mobile network operators to set up their networks in a way that they correctly transmit automatic 112 emergency calls generated through the eCall system.

The Commission wants the life-saving eCall system to be fitted to all new models of cars and light vehicles from 2015. Currently, only 0.7 % of all passenger vehicles in the EU are equipped with automatic emergency call systems.

The adoption of this Recommendation is the first step of a tripartite legislative process. Later on, legislative initiatives on the eCall device to be fitted into the cars and on the technical specifications of the emergency call centres will follow.