The European Commission made on Wednesday a final call to Bulgaria for the swift activation of the EU-wide 116 000 hotline for missing children.

The hotline provides a single number for missing children and their parents to seek help when away from home anywhere in the EU, such as during family holidays.

In a report issued on Wednesday the European Commission assesses the situation, proposes common minimum quality requirements for the service and gives the 14 remaining countries, including Bulgaria, in which the hotline does not work yet a last chance to make it operational – or else the Commission will consider legislative measures.

"The disappearance of a child is always a tragedy and in some cases their life may even be at risk. The 116 000 number offers help, support and a potential lifeline for missing children and their parents," said Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship.

"Every child and every parent should remember just one number instead of 27 national ones. Citizens should also expect that their requests are treated in a similar way no matter where in Europe they call the 116 hotline. I call on Member States to make every effort to implement the hotline swiftly to put children's safety and security first."

Vice-President Neelie Kroes, EU Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, added:

"A missing child is a traumatic experience – we have a duty to provide the simplest and most effective means to help parents and children in such a situation. This is what 116 000 is about: just one short phone number you can call, whatever European country you find yourself in. So those Member States lagging behind have to get their act together to make the 116 000 number operational throughout the EU."

In 2007, the EU already put in place rules to ensure that the 116 000 number is reserved everywhere in the EU for hotlines to report missing children and offer guidance and support to their families.

With the adoption of new EU telecoms rules in November 2009, EU Member States are obliged to make every effort to ensure that the 116 000 hotline is activated by 25 May 2011.

Today, the 116 000 hotline is fully implemented in only 12 Member States (the first country to make the number functioning was Portugal in 2007) and still has to be made fully operational in Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia and Sweden.

It is currently only partially operational in the United Kingdom.

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