The European Commission announced that it reached an agreement with The European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations (ECTAA) for promoting the pan-European emergency number '112' on their websites, on e-tickets, and at major tourist destinations.

The '112' number, which is the European emergency number, reachable from fixed and mobile phones, free of charge, everywhere in the EU and Switzerland, will be from now on promoted by tour operators and travel agents on their websites, on e-tickets, and at major tourist destinations. The “European 112 Day” is being celebrated on February 11th since 2009.

According to the European Commission, the promotion is needed because the proportion of respondents who would call 112 in their own country ranges from 96% in Sweden to 2% in Greece. 51% of all EU citizens say that they would call 112 in the event of an emergency in their own country, up from 47% in 2012.

This number links the caller to the relevant emergency service (local police, fire brigade or medical services) and allows them to speak to an operator in a choice of European languages. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 112 is now operational in all EU Member States alongside existing national emergency numbers (like 999 or 110). Denmark, Finland, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Sweden have decided to make 112 their sole or main national emergency number. 112 is also being used in countries outside the EU, such as Switzerland, Croatia, Montenegro and Turkey.