WRITTEN QUESTION E-1143/03 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Accessibility of digital services for the visually impaired.
Date: 2003-04-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: digital technology, facilities for people with disabilities, information technology, marketing, physically disabled person, social inequality, social policy

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/361

(2004/C 78 E/0380)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1143/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject: Accessibility of digital services for the visually impaired

(1 April 2003)

1. What measures has the Commission taken to ensure accessibility of digital communication services
to the blind and partially sighted?

2. Will the Commission ensure that legislation regarding the manufacturing of equipment to access
digital services does not limit the inclusive design of such equipment for the needs of the visually
impaired?

3. Will the Commission also ensure that such legislation does not inhibit the ability of European
manufacturers to market such products on the world market?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(22 May 2003)

1.

The Commission has taken action in this direction from many fronts.

First within Union Research and Technology Development Programmes, several projects have been
addressing the issue during the last years in order to contribute to the availability of technical solutions to
provide access of digital communication and services to blind and partially sighted persons. Examples of
those projects were dealing with access to electronic documents, web accessibility, access to mathematics
in electronic form, access to music files, access to electronic school material for children and many more.
More detailed information on these projects can be found in (http://www.cordis.lu/ist/ka1/special_needs/).

Second through the standardisation work. Detailed information is available at
(http://www.eeurope-
in the Information and Communi-
standards.org/activities_e-accessibility.htm). It should be noted that,
cations Technologies (ICT) area, the ICT Standards Board has set up the Design for All and Assistive
Technologies Standardisation Co-ordination Group (DATSCG),
to bring together the various bodies
working on relevant standardisation activities in Europe, including CEN, Cenelec and ETSI (1), together with
representatives of disabled groups and other groups that are active in ICT-related standardisation. In
particular, DATSCG is promoting the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines, which aim at
increasing accessibility of
the Parliament has
recommended them for use by public web sites, Union’s Institutions and Member States. More information
on DATSCG is available at (http://www.ict.etsi.org/DATSCG/DATSCG_home.htm).

the web for people with disabilities. A resolution of

Third, the Commission is consulting and inviting organisations of people with disabilities and in particular
blind persons to participate in several working groups where new legislative measures are being developed
or applied. This is the case of work in the area of accessibility of electronic Communication services,
Digital Right Management, Digital Television … that are dealt with the Inclusive Communications
(INCOM) working group and reported to the Communications Committee (COCOM) of the Framework
Directive 2002/21/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a common regulatory
framework for electronic communications networks and services (2).

There is no intention from the Commission to develop legislation regarding manufacturing of
2.
equipment that could limit the inclusive design of such equipment. On the contrary the Commission is
actively promoting the importance of inclusive design or design for all in the Information Society products
and services.

3.
Specific legislation exists outside the Union that concerns the development of accessible products and
services. In the United States there is legislation under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act that requires
Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities
following some specific standards. At this moment there is no such situation in Europe. However, there is
already Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal

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Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

ICT equipment

treatment in employment and occupation (3), dealing with equal access to employment that refers to the
accessibility of
in the workplace. The Directive applies the principle of reasonable
accommodation. Also the Framework Directive refers to accessibility of products and services but does not
dictate the way in which this would happen. Actions are planned to implement the goals of this Directive
but there is no intention in any way to inhibit the European manufactures to market products in the world
market. On the contrary it is recognised in the world market, in countries like United States, Canada,
Australia that accessibility is a feature that adds value in the market. Furthermore, as mentioned before
only accessible products can be sold to the United States administration and this is the largest purchaser of
ICT products and services in the world. The Commission is firmly convinced that developing accessible
products in Europe will enlarge their market possibilities.

(1) CEN: European Committee for Standardisation Cenelec: European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation

ETSI: European Telecommunications Standards Institute.

(2) OJ L 108, 24.4.2002.
(3) OJ L 303, 2.12.2000.

(2004/C 78 E/0381)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1230/03

by Freddy Blak (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(2 April 2003)

Subject: Enhanced legal cooperation

Following a visit to a Danish national who is imprisoned in Spain, I now realise that European legal
cooperation leaves much to be desired. The person concerned has been in prison since 28 November
2001 accused of murder. On 14 January 2002, the accused’s lawyer sent an international court order to
the Spanish Ministry of Justice, to be forwarded in turn to the Danish Ministry of Justice, with a view to
summoning a witness for questioning. More than a year later, this international court order has still not
left the Spanish Ministry of Justice.

It is appalling that such sluggish procedures can delay and prolong legal cases. To date, no formal charge
has yet been made against the accused.

Will the Commission therefore say what initiatives it intends to take to enhance European cooperation in
this field?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 2003)

The Commission has no competence to intervene with regard to the detention by the Spanish authorities
of a Danish citizen accused of murder to which the Honourable Member refers in his question, which falls
entirely within the responsibility of the Member States concerned.

In the event that an excessive length of detention is regarded by the individual as a possible breach of his
or her rights under the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms (ECHR), he or she has (cid:1) after all domestic remedies have been exhausted (cid:1) the right to make
an application to the European Court of Human Rights.

It should, also, be noted that the Commission currently is considering the question of pre-trial detention
and alternatives to such detention at a European level. This initiative is based on the Programme of
measures to implement the principle of mutual recognition of decisions in criminal matters (1). A Green
Paper on this issue will be published later in 2003.

On 19 February 2003 the Commission also published a Green Paper on Procedural Safeguards for
Suspects and Defendants in Criminal Proceedings throughout the Union (2). The Green Paper on Procedural
Safeguards focuses on the right to legal assistance and representation, the right to a competent, qualified
interpreter and/or translator, proper protection for especially vulnerable categories, consular assistance and
the knowledge of the existence of rights (‘letter of rights’).