In a new round of infringement proceedings for EU Telecoms Rules, the European Commission decided Thursday to send a reasoned opinion to Bulgaria and Romania over their failure to set in place a working system for the Single European emergency number 112, the Commission said in a press release.

A reasoned opinion is the second and final stage before the case is referred to the European Court of Justice, BTA is reporting.

The Commission quotes Viviane Reding, the EU Telecoms Commissioner as saying that a 112 European emergency number that works properly across the EU "is crucial for ensuring the safety of our citizens". "People caught in an emergency should be easily located when they dial 112 from their phones," said she. "I therefore urge the Bulgarian and Romanian authorities to ensure the availability and proper functioning of 112."

The EU's Telecoms Rules require Member States to make sure that emergency services can be called free of charge with the single European emergency number 112. They also have to ensure that telecoms operators provide the emergency authorities with information on the caller's location for 112 calls made from both fixed and mobile phones.

Bulgaria is being sent a reasoned opinion today because 112 is still not available nationwide. While 112 is available in Romania, a reasoned opinion is being sent because caller location information is still not provided to the emergency services for mobile calls, which is also the case for Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Slovakia, the Commission explained.