DIGITALEUROPE welcomes the European Parliament vote on the European Accessibility Act and calls for a final future-proof result

People with disabilities represent at least 16 % of the overall EU working age population. More than 45 million people in Europe, one in six, aged between 16 and 64 have a long-standing health problem or disability, while the proportion of older people is increasing at a faster rate than any other age group.

The digital industry is keenly aware of their great responsibility to make their products and services accessible to as many people as possible. Better accessibility of products and services also means more opportunities, respectively for fostering innovation, leveraging new markets and shaping a more inclusive digital society.

Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director-General of DIGITALEUROPE, said “Today’s European Parliament vote is a very first step in the right direction, introducing pragmatic changes to the obligations imposed on economic operators. It is good news to move away from the unsuitable CE marking framework. However, it is disappointing that the Parliament has failed to introduce the horizontal, functional accessibility requirements that would really make the legislation future-proof.”

“We hope the Member States will take this approach in their negotiations, allowing the necessary flexibility in the design choices of accessibility features and legal certainty when operating in the single market”, she added.