European Accessibility Act: DIGITALEUROPE congratulates the EU legislators and stands ready to support implementation

“There are about 80 million people with disabilities in the EU. Ensuring a smooth and consistent implementation of the Accessibility Act will support the major efforts of the tech sector in improving the lives of these people – and many more Europeans. Given the ageing of the European population, further developing accessibility features is critical for all.”

– Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director General of DIGITALEUROPE

DIGITALEUROPE congratulates the EU co-legislators for striking a deal on the first comprehensive directive on accessibility, after more than three years of legislative procedure and constructive discussions between the digital industry and European institutions. The digital industry has been a strong supporter of the European Accessibility Act since its publication in 2015, in line with our long-standing commitment to continuously innovate and improve the accessibility of our products and services to all.

Our industry looks forward to supporting the application of this crucial piece of legislation for people with disabilities. For the Accessibility Act to be a success, DIGITALEUROPE calls for a swift and well-organised implementation, with continuous dialogue between stakeholders and the Commission. We are ready to assist such a process, including by ensuring that quality standards are delivered in a timely manner. We look forward to the next steps on standardisation and to additional guidance from the European Commissionon key elements such as the scope.

DIGITALEUROPE believes that, in collaboration with the EU institutions, the digital industry will be able to successfully implement the Accessibility Act to reach even higher levels of accessibility and user-friendliness of ICT products and services.