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European Emergency Number Association

EENA

The European Emergency Number Association is an NGO dedicated to improving emergency services across Europe.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Pascal Arimont (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

7 Jan 2026 · Resilient Communication Infrastructure in Crisis

European emergency group urges resilience targets for digital infrastructure

15 Dec 2025
Topic — Assessing the Digital Decade Policy Programme to align with technical and economic developments.
Message — The group requests specific targets to ensure voice and SMS services continue during network outages. They also seek improved coverage in unpopulated areas and better emergency call reliability for roaming users.123
Why — This ensures emergency services have the robust infrastructure needed to protect citizens during crises.4
Impact — Mobile operators face increased costs for power backups and new roaming connectivity standards.5
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Meeting with Pascal Arimont (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

4 Dec 2025 · Future EU Legislation on Emergency Communications

Meeting with Grégory Allione (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Dec 2025 · When Every Second Counts: Lessons from Ukraine’s 112 and emergency services for a Safer Europe

Emergency group EENA seeks priority power for telecom networks

13 Oct 2025
Topic — The EU is revising its energy security rules to address geopolitical and climate crises.
Message — EENA supports the 'EU alert' crisis level and repair capacity stockpiling. They recommend requiring energy networks to prioritize grid restoration for telecommunications and critical infrastructure.12
Why — The organization would ensure that emergency communication remains functional during power blackouts.3
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Meeting with Ivars Ijabs (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Sept 2025 · Improving Resilience through the Digital Networks Act

Meeting with Matej Tonin (Member of the European Parliament)

23 Sept 2025 · Topics on the Intergroup on Resilience, Disaster Management and Civil Protection

Meeting with Grégory Allione (Member of the European Parliament)

23 Sept 2025 · Future event with Ukrainian 112

EENA Urges Robust Public Warning Systems for Climate Resilience

27 Aug 2025
Topic — The EU is creating a framework to strengthen member states' climate risk management.
Message — EENA recommends implementing effective warning systems using multiple channels and geo-targeting. They demand clear activation procedures and full accessibility for persons with disabilities. Multilingual delivery is essential to reach tourists and non-native speakers during emergencies.1234
Why — This would prioritize emergency network funding and elevate EENA's specialized policy mission.5
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EENA Demands Public Safety Focus in Digital Networks Act

11 Jul 2025
Topic — The consultation addresses EU digital connectivity infrastructure and transition to cloud-based technologies.
Message — EENA requests technical updates to clarify emergency rules and ensure network resilience. They propose mandatory altitude data in caller location to improve rescue efficiency. The association seeks better coordination between operators and emergency services during shutdowns.123
Why — Enhanced resilience requirements would lower long-term disaster management spending while improving public safety outcomes.4
Impact — Telecom operators would face high costs for upgrading network power and infrastructure.56
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EENA warns new mobile roaming tech endangers EU tourists

8 Jul 2025
Topic — Consultation on a strategy to promote sustainable and competitive EU tourism.
Message — EENA urges the EU to fix gaps in emergency communications for roamers. They warn that new roaming tech prevents emergency services from receiving caller locations.12
Why — Addressing these technical flaws would fulfill EENA's core mission to improve public safety.34
Impact — Tourists face higher risks because emergency services cannot locate them during life-threatening incidents.5
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Meeting with Pascal Arimont (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Jun 2025 · Communication in Crisis

Response to European Critical Communication System

16 May 2025

EENA welcomes the potential establishment of a European Critical Communication System to ensure that public authorities in charge of security and safety can communicate easily across borders. This system will also apply to PSAPs, who need to communicate securely with first responders, both domestically and during cross border emergencies, and with PSAPs in other countries. The impact assessment for this measure should therefore consider the specific benefits and risks of a European Critical Communications System for PSAPs. In addition, any move away from existing systems such as TETRA should consider both the benefits and risks for PSAPs and first responders of a replacement system. For example, reliance on 5G or 6G networks for critical communications may result in increased bandwidth and communications capabilities, overcoming a limitation of existing critical communications systems. However this should not come at the cost of reduced network resilience for critical communications, which currently rely on a separate, more resilient network to public electronic communications networks. The improved resilience and high geographic coverage of these networks can be vital when first responders and PSAPs are required to operate in areas where public electronic communications networks have failed. The EUCCS must maintain or improve this level of resilience and coverage to ensure that PSAPs and first responders can rely on it to work in any emergency. The system should also provide an improved level of resilience during events which result in power networks failing. Recent events such as Storm Éoywn in Ireland in January 2025, and in Portugal and Spain in April 2025 resulted in critical communications networks failing due to a loss of power. Incorporating independent power generation into its this network, or utilising fallback satellite connectivity, could significantly improve the resilience of the EUCCS, and address this issue.
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Response to International Digital Strategy

16 May 2025

The International Digital Strategy is an opportunity for the EU to support a secure and human-centric digital transformation in partner countries, enhance the resilience of global supply chains, and promote a digital transformation that is human-centric, trustworthy, and respects human rights. One cost-effective way to achieve these objectives is to leverage the EUs global leadership in two proven public safety technologies: handset-based caller location and mobile-based public warning systems. These technologies are relatively low-cost to implement and benefit from extensive European experience in deployment. By providing technical assistance to partner countries in adopting these systems, the EU can help these countries strengthen public safety, enhance societal resilience, and combat misinformation during crises. Both technologies are inherently human-centric, directly supporting the protection of life and property during emergencies. Their incorporation into this strategy would therefore contribute to the strategys goals of improving resilience in partner countries, improving trust, and upholding human rights. Global initiatives already exist which promote caller location and public warning, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (20152030), the UN Early Warnings for All (EW4All), and a recent ITU Resolution on handset-based caller location. An EU-led initiative could build on these frameworks by allocating funding to technical assistance for countries implementing these technologies. This technical assistance could also help EU solution providers gain access to partner country markets where their presence is currently limited.
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Response to Communication on the EU Stockpiling Strategy

30 Apr 2025

Emergency communications networks are a critical first line of defence for communities following a natural or man-made disaster. They not only provide individual citizens with the means to seek help following a disaster, but also provide public authorities with a reliable means of crowd-sourced information for emergency management, ensuring that first responders can be sent to the areas which need them most. However, access to emergency communications is only as reliable as the electronic communications networks which are used to access it, and on the power networks which allow these networks to function. Both of these networks are vulnerable to disruption during storms or a force majeure. Recent examples of events which interrupted power or electronic communications networks include Storm Éoywn in Ireland in January 2025, and the Spanish and Portuguese power failure in April 2025. Both events resulted in loss of access to 112. How the EU Stockpiling Strategy can mitigate the impact of disasters on access to emergency communications: As Europe faces increasing climate and geopolitical threats, it is critical that the EU take an expansive approach to stockpiling which includes non-tangible resources, such as power and redundant capacity. For example, the capacity of batteries in cell towers to stockpile additional energy so that they can ensure continued connectivity for longer following a power failure may be more important than stockpiling physical stockpiles of generators and other independent power sources which can be linked with an individual cell tower following a network failure. In addition, stockpiling additional redundant capacity on Direct to Device Satellite networks, which will likely see increased use following terrestrial network failures, could ensure continued access to 112 following a power failure. The placement of stockpiles may also be equally important to the quantity of equipment stockpiled. The Strategy should ensure that stockpiles are stored close to where they are expected to be used, wherever possible. As a result, it is critical that the EU stockpiling strategy includes: (i) Increased battery storage capacity on existing cell towers: Cell towers across Europe are equipped with batteries which allow them to function for a limited period of time following a power outage. The duration of this time varies from 15 minutes to several days, depending on the Member State and region. This duration should be at least long enough to provide uninterrupted coverage until services are reasonable expected to be able to restore network power, or supplement the battery in each cell tower with an alternative source of power generation. (ii) Portable independent sources of power generation: These independent power sources, such as generators or batteries can be used to power cell towers for the duration of a power outage, to ensure continued access to 112. In the event of an extended loss of power, charging points should be provided to local communities to charge their devices, to ensure that they can remain connected to their local networks, and can therefore contact 112 in an emergency. PSAPs should also continue to have sufficient sources of independent power generation to ensure continued service during power outages. (iii) Greater stockpiles of telecommunications equipment: This should be available in sufficient numbers to carry out rapid repairs in the event of significant damage to communications networks, such as following a storm. (iv) Redundant bandwidth in Satellite Communications Networks: The EU should ensure that new Direct to Device Satellite networks include sufficient additional bandwidth to deal with the expected increase in demand for emergency services which it may face during power outages.
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Meeting with Anna Samsel (Head of Unit European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations)

14 Mar 2025 · Sharing best practices on usage of public warning systems in Europe

Meeting with Pascal Arimont (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Feb 2025 · European 112 Day

Meeting with Daniel Attard (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Nov 2024 · Introductory Meeting

Meeting with Grégory Allione (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Nov 2024 · Réunion EENA - numéro urgence européen 112

EENA urges prioritizing emergency communications in digital infrastructure plans

18 Jun 2024
Topic — Consultation on scenarios to enhance Europe's digital infrastructure and connectivity networks.
Message — Ensure continuous access to emergency services during network transitions. Integrate emergency communication obligations into upcoming satellite and cloud legislation.12
Why — This would modernize emergency response and improve public safety through better coordination.34
Impact — Satellite and telecom operators face new service obligations and technical requirements.5
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Response to Update of standards for the 112-based eCall in-vehicle systems

23 Nov 2023

EENA welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft Delegated Regulation amending Regulation 2015/758 on updated standards for in-vehicle emergency call systems (eCall). The updated standards provide the basis for enabling the transmission of eCall via 4G and 5G networks. As the sunset of 2G and 3G networks is already underway in Europe, the proposed legislation represents a timely step in the right direction. Having considered this proposal in conjunction with the European Commissions other related proposal for a delegated regulation amending Delegated Regulation (EU) No 305/2013 supplementing Directive 2010/40/EU, the deadlines for PSAP readiness and vehicle readiness appear to be in step. EENA notes however that uncertainty remains regarding support for vehicles with a legacy eCall capability that rely on the availability of 2G and 3G networks. As the sunsetting of 2G and 3G networks, and therefore the unavailability of circuit-switch-based eCall, is largely left to the market in the EU Member States, legacy support will end at different times in different countries. As such, and in the absence of any explicit regulatory obligation, it is vitally important that providers of mobile networks and services co-operate closely with the relevant national authorities regarding their sunset plans to ensure that users of vehicles with legacy eCall capability are made aware, in a timely manner, when it will no longer be possible to initiate an eCall from their vehicles. Finally, EENA considers that users of vehicles with legacy eCall capability should also be informed of any available options that may exist to enable eCall capability using 4G and 5G networks in their vehicles.
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Response to Revision of the specifications for the harmonised provision for an interoperable EU-wide eCall

19 Oct 2023

The European Emergency Number Association welcomes the publication of the draft delegated regulation by the European Commission and the opportunity to provide feedback. EENA welcomes the transition to eCall using IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) over packet-switched networks. Compliance with revised and new standards is necessary to ensure a seamless transition and EENA welcomes the reference to these new norms in the draft text. Such change should come together with the PSAPs capability to receive, answer and process emergency communications through packet-switched technology. EENA also welcomes the requirements on PSAPs to be able to receive optional additional data in the Minimum Set of Data (MSD) as the lack of possibility to receive and process such data limited its benefits. Additional data facilitates faster qualification of emergency situations in the PSAP and increased situational awareness for emergency responders. EENA notes the proposed date for application of the provisions of the regulation (i.e. 01 January 2026) and considers that Member States should take account of it in their preparation of roadmaps on upgrading the national PSAP systems in order to be able to receive, answer and process emergency communications through packet-switched technology in accordance with the requirements of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/444 supplementing Directive (EU) 2018/1972. These roadmaps must be submitted to the European Commission by 5 December 2023. On a point of detail, EENA considers that the amended definition for an emergency control centre should be revisited as the current wording limits the role of such an entity to the handling of contextual data only. This is not in line with the original definition nor is the definition consistent with the terminology used in Directive (EU) 2018/1972. Finally, EENA also expects more clarity on the situation of legacy eCall systems support after the shutdown of 2G/3G networks. Vehicles equipped with eCall systems based on circuit-switched networks will still be in circulation for many years. In our view, a solution should be found to ensure that PSAPs can still receive eCall alerts from all applicable categories of vehicle that have gone through the type-approvals process since 31 March 2018.
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Response to Evaluation of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and the European Cybersecurity Certification Framework

15 Sept 2023

PSAPs (organisations handling emergency communications such as emergency calls to 112) are confronted to an increasingly high number of cyberthreats and this becomes particularly relevant as PSAPs are being required to "receive, answer and process emergency communications through packet-switched technology", as per delegated regulation 2023/444. Today, ENISA has very limited competences to provide recommendations and guidance to PSAPs, and has not been very active in this particular field. In fact, the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has been very active in the US but also more active than ENISA in reaching out to European PSAPs on cybersecurity matters. Some of the iniatives could include the publication of dedicated documentation and the provision of guidelines, participation in events with PSAP representatives. Clearly, it is important for EU's strategic autonomy that the EU can rely at least as much on ENISA than CISA.
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Response to Improving access to emergency services through the single European emergency number ‘112’

2 Sept 2022

EENA's detailed feedback on the draft delegated regulation is available attached. The European Emergency Number Association welcomes this draft proposal and shares the objectives of the European Commission that are detailed in the proposal. However, more clarifications are needed in some of the provisions: On the provisions related to setting accuracy and reliability criteria, EENA considers that there should be a common threshold determining an acceptable level of accuracy and reliability in order to avoid a potential situation with 27 different sets of criteria being established. On access to emergency services for end-users with disabilities, EENA agrees with the functional equivalence requirements that are listed in article 4. In order to ensure that these requirements are fully met by all Member States, EENA would expect greater precision in the text on what “in a seamless way” (article 4(b)), “without delay” (article 4(d)) and “by design” (article 4(f)) imply. On routing to the most appropriate PSAP, EENA encourages the transition to emergency communications based on packet-switched technologies, as long as it effectively provides quick and reliable access to emergency services for all end-users. With regard to the use of mobile applications as a means of access to emergency services, it is EENA's considered view that they are complementary to native solutions. Mobile apps cannot be considered as a viable alternative given the additional effort required (i.e. downloading and registration) from end-users. Greater clarification on the EC's vision for the use of mobile applications as a means of access to emergency services would be helpful in this regard. Furthermore, when encouraging cooperation from Member States on defining interoperability requirements, EENA believes that cooperation is also needed on other topics such as the establishment of accuracy and reliability criteria and routing of emergency communications in roaming situations (including situations of inadvertent roaming). Finally, when establishing a roadmap for upgrading national PSAP systems to receive, answer and process emergency communications through packet-switch technology, EENA believes that the dates of deployment that are set in such roadmaps should take into account the deadlines set out in the European Accessibility Act (directive 2019/882). A more detailed feedback on the draft proposal is available in attachment.
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Response to Improving access to emergency services through the single European emergency number ‘112’

28 Oct 2021

EENA welcomes the draft roadmap presented by the European Commission which intends to harness the benefits of new types of electronic communications networks to improve emergency communications. The European Electronic Communications Code (directive 2018/1972/EC) brought considerable improvements to public safety but transition of emergency communications to IP-based communications is still necessary to ensure: better accessibility to people with disabilities; multi-channel access to emergency services; provision of contextual data to emergency services during an emergency communication; easy and secured exchange of data between public safety organisations; smart routing to the most appropriate PSAP; facilitation of remote communication-handling when sanitary conditions require it… As the documents points out “a technological upgrade is necessary to ensure that PSAPs will be enabled to keep up with the changes at the network level and handle IP-based emergency communications”. Next-Generation emergency communications (also called ‘Next-Generation 112’ or ‘NG112’) is a technical architecture that brings new information and communication technologies to emergency communications. This mostly consists in integrating public safety organisations in an Emergency Services IP Network called ‘ESInet’. This ESInet has the capacity to receive different types of emergency communications and data, to route them smartly, as well as to exchange them with the appropriate PSAP in a secured and privacy-friendly manner. EENA believes that measures should be adopted to support the transition of emergency communications to NG112 in all Member States. Adopting these measures at the European level are also necessary in order to guarantee fully accessible emergency services for all end-users; avoid fragmentation between Member States in how citizens can reach emergency services and ensure a harmonised access to ESInets throughout the Union. Hence, EENA supports the European Commission’s proposed roadmap. Measures adopted should seek the highest degree of harmonisation among the Member States and to do so, rely as much as possible on standards. EENA is ready to support any initiative from the European Commission towards this direction.
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Response to Radio equipment support access to the E112 emergency services

28 Nov 2018

The European Emergency Number Association (EENA) welcomes the Commission's draft regulation. For many years, determining the caller's exact location has been one of the biggest challenges that emergency services have been facing. As this was illustrated in the findings of the Help112 project, the provision of handset-derived location information directly to the emergency services can have a considerable impact on people's safety. In addition, in the countries where Advanced Mobile Location (AML) has been deployed, many lives have already been saved thanks to this technology. By making sure that all smartphones sold in the EU Single Market support technologies enabling the provision of such crucial data to the emergency services, this delegated act will bring some regulatory certainty, which is very important for national authorities deploying technologies such as AML. In addition, as this has already been demonstrated, Galileo will bring some major improvements to the quality of the information provided: better accuracy, quicker time to first fix and better availability of signal. Hence, EENA supports this delegated act, which will have a considerable impact on people's safety in Europe.
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