Commission Decision of 15 February 2007 on reserving the national numbering range beginning with ‘116’ for harmonised numbers for harmonised services of social value (notified under document number C(2007) 249) (Text with EEA relevance) (2007/116/EC)

Commission Decision

of 15 February 2007

on reserving the national numbering range beginning with ‘116’ for harmonised numbers for harmonised services of social value

(notified under document number C(2007) 249)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/116/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to the Directive 2002/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (the Framework Directive)(1), and in particular Article 10(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) It is desirable for citizens of the Member States, including travellers and disabled users, to be able to reach certain services that have a social value by using the same recognisable numbers in all Member States. At present there is a patchwork of numbering and dialling schemes in the Member States and no common numbering scheme is in operation to reserve the same telephone numbers for such services in the Community. Community action is therefore required for that purpose.

(2) The harmonisation of numbering resources is necessary to allow these services provided in different Member States to be accessed by end-users using the same number. The combination ‘same number — same service’ will ensure that a specific service in which ever Member State it is provided is always associated with a specific number within the Community. This will provide the service with a pan-European identity to the benefit of the European citizen who will know that the same number dialled will give access to the same type of service in different Member States. This measure will encourage pan-European services to develop.

(3) In order to reflect the social function of the services in question, the harmonised numbers should be freephone numbers, without this meaning that operators would be obliged to carry calls to 116 numbers at their own expense. The freephone nature of the numbers is therefore an essential component of the harmonisation being carried out.

(4) It is necessary to attach conditions closely related to controlling the nature of the service provided to ensure that the harmonised numbers are used for the provision of the particular type of service covered by the Decision.

(5) It may be necessary that specific conditions are attached to the right of use for a specific harmonised number, for example, that the associated service should be provided 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

(6) In accordance with the Framework Directive, national regulatory authorities are responsible for the management of national numbering plans and for controlling the assignment of national numbering resources to specific undertakings. In accordance with Article 6 and Article 10 of Directive 2002/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on the authorisation of electronic communications networks and services (Authorisation Directive)(2), conditions may be attached to the use of numbers and penalties may be applied in case of non compliance with those conditions.

(7) The list of specific numbers in the numbering range beginning with ‘116’ should be regularly updated in accordance with the procedure in Article 22(3) of the Framework Directive. Member States should make known the existence of such numbers in a manner that is accessible to all interested parties, for example, via their websites.

(8) The Commission will consider revision or further adaptation of the present Decision in the light of experience gained, based on reports provided to the Commission by the Member States, in particular whether a specific service for which a number has been reserved has developed on a pan-European basis.

(9) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Communications Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

(1)

OJ L 108, 24.4.2002, p. 33.

(2)

OJ L 108, 24.4.2002, p. 21.