A new European standard for accessible emergency communications
3/9/2026
ETSI has published EN 303 919 – Accessibility and Interoperability of Emergency Communications, an important milestone for the implementation of accessible emergency communications in Europe.
The standard has been developed by ETSI TC EMTEL in response to the European Commission standardisation request M/587 and supports the implementation of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).
But what does this mean in practice?
The European Accessibility Act requires emergency communications to be accessible and, from June 2027, PSAPs in the EU will need to be able to answer accessible emergency communications using the same communication means as received.
For this to work, accessibility cannot be addressed only at the PSAP. The whole communication chain needs to work together.
EN 303 919 therefore covers the different elements involved in an emergency communication: the user device, electronic communications networks and services, emergency communication systems and PSAPs, as well as assisting services such as relay services.
It includes requirements for voice, real-time text (RTT) and video, and for their use together as Total Conversation. It also addresses important elements such as routing and caller location.
For users, this should ultimately mean that contacting emergency services using accessible communications becomes easier and more consistent. For PSAPs, public authorities, telecom operators, device manufacturers and other stakeholders, the standard provides a common technical framework to make this possible.
The publication of the standard is therefore an important step, but it is not the end of the work. The focus now needs to move towards implementation and, importantly, interoperability between all the different elements of the emergency communication chain.
EENA actively contributed to the development of the standard through ETSI TC EMTEL.
The publication of EN 303 919 gives us a common European technical reference. The next step is to make it work in practice.
