New action plan to give fresh impetus to eCall, says Commission
The European Commission has proposed a new action plan to get its in-car emergency call technology initiative - eCall - back on track. It is now calling on Member States and industry to show their commitment to its implementation. Launched in 2005 as part of the Commission's i2010 strategy, the eCall action plan aims to introduce into all new vehicles in Europe by 2009 a system that calls the emergency services automatically when an accident occurs. It is estimated that such a system could save up to 2,500 lives annually in the EU. Part of the action plan's success relies upon prospective partners committing to a new emergency number -112 - and the handling of location information for mobile calls, E112. However, despite some initial progress, many Member States do not yet have the necessary infrastructure in place for putting eCall into practice, according to a recently published Commission status report. To date, only 10 countries have signed up to the eCall Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), while a total of 40 companies have agreed to develop and introduce eCall devices into vehicles. 'We urgently need to get eCall back on track,' said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media. 'We have the technology. Now we need Member States and industry to move up a gear and help us make Europe's roads safer sooner rather than later.' The new action plan aims to give fresh impetus for the roll-out of eCall. It presents a set of measures with deadlines to help Member States solve the remaining legal, technical and socio-economic issues for putting in place the necessary 112, E112 and eCall infrastructure. The plan also seeks renewed commitment from the automotive industry. The Commission is said to have started negotiations with the representatives of the sector on a voluntary agreement to introduce eCall devices into vehicles. Industry has already reacted to the plan by presenting a new deployment timetable, now targeting 2010. The main action points are as follows: - all key stakeholders should sign the MoU to ensure progress by end of 2006; - full specification of the eCall system and start of development by mid-2007; - full-scale field tests should be performed from the beginning of 2008; - Member States should be ready with the upgrade of the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) by September 2009; - introduction of eCall as standard option in all vehicles type-approved from 1st September 2010 onward. The European Commission says that it will continue to provide assistance by working on privacy and standardisation, and through field tests and awareness campaigns.