EU-wide phone numbers for companies proposed

BUSINESSES with branches in different EU member states could have the same telephone number for customer support under a suggestion floated by the European Commission.

They argue that having an EU-wide phone number could help European businesses to offer cross-border sales more easily and facilitate access to after-sales and customer enquiry services irrespective of the member state where the customer is living.

Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes has launched a consultation on the issue that will be open for submissions and comments until the end of February.

“Today businesses need to have a separate telephone number in every member state where their customers need to contact them. This makes it difficult to develop EU-wide services for their customers.”

Currently there is no EU-wide number available for businesses wanting to be reachable across borders.

Instead they have to rely on different national or non-geographic “business” numbers, such as 0800-numbers in each member state.

Commissioner Kroes argues that this leads to extra costs for business and consumers and hampers the development of the EU’s single market.

Based on the response to their consultation, the commission will devise a proposal on the best way to set up a numbering policy for business to enhance the single market.