Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee and the Comittee of the Regions -  eAccessibility [SEC(2005)1095]
Date: 2005-09-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Internet, access to information, facilities for people with disabilities, information society, information technology, telecommunications

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 13.9.2005 
COM(2005)425 final 

. 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND 
SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

eAccessibility 

[SEC(2005)1095] 

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   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND 
SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

eAccessibility 

Accessible Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will improve the quality of 
life of people with disabilities significantly. At the same time, the lack of equal opportunities 
to access ICT can lead to exclusion. In this Communication, the Commission proposes a set 
of  policy  actions  that  foster  eAccessibility.  It  calls  on  Member  States  and  stakeholders  to 
support  voluntary  positive  actions  to  make  accessible  ICT  products  and  services  far  more 
widely available in Europe.  

This  Communication  on  eAccessibility  contributes  to  the  implementation  of  the  recently 
launched  “i2010  –  A  European  Information  Society  for  growth  and  employment”1 
initiative, that presents a new strategic framework and broad policy orientations to promote an 
open and competitive digital economy, emphasising ICT as a driver of inclusion and quality 
of life. The Commission has the ambitious objective of achieving an “Information Society for 
All”, promoting an inclusive digital society that provides opportunities for all and minimises 
the risk of exclusion.  

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

People with disabilities constitute about 15% of the European population and many of them 
encounter barriers when using ICT products and services. In certain cases, older people can be 
faced  with  similar  problems.  Accessible  ICT  products  and  services  have  now  become  a 
priority in Europe, due to the demographic shift: 18% of the European population was aged 
over 60 in 1990, while this is expected to rise to 30% by 2030.2  

A recent study in the USA3 found that 60% of working-age adults can benefit from the use of 
accessible technologies because they experience mild impairments or difficulties when using 
current technologies. 

A 20024 study found that over 48% of 50 years+ persons in Europe considered that they are 
not being adequately addressed by manufacturers in the design of their products. Between 10 
and  12  million  were  nevertheless  potential  customers  of  new  mobile  phones,  computer  and 
internet services.  

The  implications  are  clear:  making  the  benefits  of  ICT  available  to  the  widest  possible 
number  of  people  is  a  social,  ethical  and  political  imperative.  Furthermore,  this  creates 
markets of increasing economic significance. 

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2 
3 
4 

COM(2005) 229 final of 1 June 2005. 
UN World Population Prospects (2002 Revision) and Eurostat Demographic projections 
The Wide Range of Abilities and Its Impact on Computer Technology – Forrester Research Inc., 2003. 
Seniorwatch IST-1999-29086 www.seniorwatch.de 

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Overcoming  the  technical  barriers  and  difficulties  that  people  with  disabilities  and  others 
experience when trying to participate on equal terms in the Information Society (IS) is known 
as “eAccessibility”. This is part of the broader eInclusion concept, which also addresses other 
types of barriers, such as financial, geographical or educational. 

This  Communication  builds  on  previous  work  on  eAccessibility  under  the  two  eEurope 
Action Plans and on the conclusions and results of RTD projects. It also integrates the main 
findings  of  an  online  consultation5  that  was  held  early  2005,  which  showed  a  very  strong 
support (over 88% of responses) for the European Institutions to take initiatives to address a 
situation that is perceived by a significant majority (over 74%) as a lack of coherence among 
accessible  ICT  products  and  services  in  Europe.  A  wider  availability  of  accessible  products 
and services is also felt to be needed (84% of respondents). 

The  main  objective  of  this  Communication  is  to  promote  a  consistent  approach  to 
eAccessibility initiatives in the Member States on a voluntary basis, as well as to foster 
industry self-regulation. 

2. 

THE PRACTICAL CHALLENGES 

New  technologies  have  already  provided  clear  support  to  persons  with  disabilities  and  have 
enabled the realisation of functions in an independent manner that was only possible before 
with  human  assistance.  However,  despite  efforts  by  industry,  persons  with  disabilities  still 
report  a  large  number  of  problems  when  trying  to  use  information  technology  products  and 
services for example: 

•  lack  of  harmonised  solutions,  e.g.  lack  of  access  to  the  112  emergency  number 

from text phones in many Member States; 

•  lack of interoperable solutions for accessible ICT ; 
•  software not compatible with assistive devices, screen readers for blind users are 

often impossible to use after releases of new operating systems; 

•  interference  between  mainstream  products  and  assistive  devices,  e.g.  GSM 

telephones and hearing aids; 

•  lack of European-wide standards, e.g. the seven different, incompatible text phone 

systems for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons; 

•  lack  of  adequate  services,  e.g.  many  websites  too  complicated  for  cognitively 
impaired  or  inexperienced  users  or  impossible  to  read  and  navigate  through  for 
visually impaired persons; 

•  lack of products and services for certain groups, e.g. telephone communication for 

sign language users; 

•  physical design difficult to use, e.g. keypads and displays on many devices; 
•  lack of accessible content; 
•  restricted choice of electronic communication services, quality and price.  

5 

Results available at: 
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/accessibility/com_ea_2005/a_documents/com_consult_r
es.html#_Toc97028181 

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Most of these problems could, conceptually, be easily solved from a technical point of view, 
but  require  cooperation,  coordination  and  determination  at  European  level  as  market  forces 
alone seem not to have been sufficient to date.  

In  the  near  future,  examples  of  new  technologies  where  accessibility  aspects  must  be 
considered early include: 

•  digital television, e.g. regarding standards and compatibility as well as design of 

services and hardware; 

•  third  generation  mobile  telephones,  e.g.  regarding  design  of  hardware  and 

software as well as services; 

•  broadband communication, e.g. using the possibilities of multimodal presentations 

in a way that enhances accessibility rather than the opposite. 

Addressing these issues, previously thought to be of interest to a specific target segment of the 
population, will actually have positive consequences for the majority of technology users. 

3. 

MARKET AND ECONOMY ISSUES 

ICT  research  and  the  market  have  come  up  with  innovative  solutions  for  some  of  these 
challenges. The main obstacles to their widespread availability are:  

•  until now they have been targeting a small market (seen essentially as people with 
disabilities and in some cases older people), mostly through SMEs at a national or 
regional level; 

•  the scarcity of applicable technical standards and technical specifications; 
•  relevant European legislation only recently explicitly contemplated the possibility 
of  using  accessibility  requirements  in  the  technical  specifications  in  public 
procurement procedures; 

•  there are significant differences in the way some Member States have developed 

their own solutions. 

As  a  consequence,  the  accessible  ICT  products  and  services  market  in  Europe  is  still  in  an 
initial  development  phase,  largely  fragmented  at  national  borders  and  lacking  harmonised 
legislation  and  applicable  technical  standards.  This  does  not  facilitate  the  functioning  of  a 
single  market  and  poses  an  increased  burden  on  industry  to  comply  with  differing 
requirements in different Member States. 

Increasingly, the target consumers are not seen anymore as only persons with disabilities and 
in  some  cases,  older  people,  but  as  the  whole  population.  This  realization  entails  a  market 
change  we  are  just  beginning  to  witness,  as  the  bigger  European  industrial  players  are  now 
turning  their  attention  to  this  market  sector,  although  they  are  still  some  time  away  before 
putting their full weight behind it. 

is  also 

the  case  of 

the  pervasiveness  of 
This 
telecommunications  products  and  services  is  now  such  that  even  this  (relatively  small  for 
now)  market  niche  is  significant  as  a  differentiator  and  growth  generator,  attracting  interest 
from the bigger market players. 

the  Telecommunications  area  – 

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In conclusion, eAccessibility and related assistive technology products and services are now 
on  the  “midterm  radar”  of  even  the  bigger  mainstream  technology  providers,  not  only  from 
Europe but also from other regions of the world. 

4. 

LEGAL AND POLICY ISSUES 

On several occasions, Council has encouraged action at EU level for instance when it called 
on Member States and invited the Commission to “Tap the Information Society’s potential for 
people with disabilities and, in particular, tackle the removal of technical and other barriers 
to  their  effective  participation  in  the  Knowledge  Based  Economy  and  Society”  6.  The 
European Parliament has also supported this perspective7. 

In particular, European policies and legislation have recognised employment and occupation 
as  key  elements  in  guaranteeing  equal  opportunities  for  all,  contributing  strongly  to  the  full 
participation of citizens in economic, cultural and social life and  to  realising their potential. 
The potential impact on this from a wider availability of quality accessible ICT products and 
services  is  clear.  It  will  foster  greater  employability,  better  social  inclusion  and  give  people 
the ability to live independently for longer. 

The  need  to  include  all  Europeans  in  the  Information  Society  has  been  expressed  by  the 
European  Institutions  in  many  contexts.  The  Commission  has  taken  initiatives  in  the  two 
eEurope Action Plans to build a more accessible IS. The 2002 Action Plan included a separate 
action  line  addressing  these  issues.  It  recommended  the  adoption  of  the  Web  Accessibility 
Inititiative  (WAI)8  guidelines,  the  development  of  a  European  Design  for  All  (DFA) 
curriculum  and  strengthening  assistive  technology  and  DFA  standardisation.  In  the  eEurope 
2005 Action Plan, the aim was to mainstream eInclusion in all action lines. It also proposed 
the introduction of accessibility requirements for ICT in public procurement. 

Supporting  this  work,  the  Telecommunications  Council  has  expressed  the  need  to  improve 
eAccessibility  in  Europe9.  Furthermore  the  Ministerial  Declaration10on  eInclusion  proposes 
taking all necessary actions towards an open, inclusive knowledge-based society accessible to 
all citizens. 

Furthermore, in its 2003 Resolution on eAccessibility11, the Social Affairs Council called on 
Member  States  to  tackle  the  removal  of  technical,  legal  and  other  barriers  to  the  effective 
participation of people with disabilities in the knowledge-based economy and society. 

In  line  with  this,  the  European  Parliament,  in  its  2002  Resolution  on  web  accessibility12, 
“reiterates the need to avoid any form of exclusion from the IS, and calls for the integration of 

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Council Resolution on “eAccessibility for People with Disabilities”, 2-3 December 2002,  
http://www.socialdialogue.net/docs/cha_key/consilium_2002_14892en2.pdf 
EP Resolution on eEurope 2002: Accessibility of Public Web Sites and their Content (2002 (0325)) 
«eEurope  2002 :  Accessibility  of  public  websites  and  their  content »,  COM(2001)  529  final, 
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/cnc/2001/com2001_0529en01.pdf 
Council  Resolution  on  the  eEurope  Action  Plan  2002 :  Accessibility  of  public  websites  and  their 
content, OJ C 86, 10.4.2002. 
Ministerial Declaration on eInclusion, 11 April 2003 http://www.eu2003.gr/en/articles/2003/4/11/2502/ 
Council resolution 14892/02. 
EP Resolution on eEurope 2002: Accessibility of Public Web Sites and their Content (2002 (0325)) 

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disabled and elderly people in particular”. Furthermore in another Resolution, the use of sign 
language in Telecommunications in Europe13 is mentioned. 

In a general sense, Article 13 of the Treaty establishing the EC provides for action to combat 
discrimination, inter alia because of disability.  

Based on this article, Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 200014, has the explicit 
purpose (Article 1) “...to lay down a general framework for combating discrimination on the 
grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation as regards employment and 
occupation”.  In  particular  the  Directive  states  that  “Appropriate  measures  should  be 
provided,  i.e.  effective  and  practical  measures  to  adapt  the  workplace  to  the  disability,  for 
example adapting premises and equipment…” 

Furthermore, a number of European Directives related to the Information Society have clauses 
referring  to  the  inclusion  of  persons  with  disabilities  and  older  people.  These  include  the 
Electronic  Communications  Directives,  in  particular  the  Framework15  and  the  Universal 
Service Directives16, the Directive on Radio and Telecommunication Terminals (RTTE)17 the 
Public Procurement Directive18 and the Employment Equality Directive19. 

The  Commission  Action  Plan20  published  in  December  2003  on  the  follow-up  of  the 
European Year of People with Disabilities included as one of its four areas the access to, and 
use  of,  new  technologies  and  describes  actions  undertaken  to  improved  accessibility  to  the 
information society using instrument available at EU level. 

Activities  at  EU  level  have  an  added  value  as  several  Member  States  are  developing 
legislation, regulations, standards or guidelines to tackle these issues at national level. These 
actions  are  leading  to  similar  but  yet  different  eAccessibility  requirements  for  products  and 
services, thus creating a high risk for the European industry, i.e. being forced to operate in a 
fragmented market with the consequent loss of competitiveness and effectiveness. 

The  risk  for  consumers  is  even  greater,  particularly  for  people  with  disabilities  and  older 
persons:  a  fragmented  market  means  costlier,  more  unfamiliar  and  incompatible  products, 
more difficulty in accessing/moving information across borders, etc. 

EU  actions  also  take  into  account  international  experiences,  like  those  in  the  USA  and 
Canada, with which a dialogue has been initiated by the European Commission, particularly 
regarding the use of legislative provisions in the context of public procurement as a powerful 
leverage factor.  

Consequently,  basic  conditions  are  set  for  initiatives  to  be  taken  at  EU  level  –  this  was  the 
view  expressed  by  an  overwhelming  majority  of  the  stakeholders  during  the  public 
consultation process (84%). 

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15 
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18 
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20 

EP Resolution on Sign Language - Resolution B4/ 0985/98. 
Available at 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/legisln/2000_78_en.pdf 
Directive 2002/21/EC. 
Directive 2002/22/EC. 
Directive 1999/5/EC. 
Directives 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC. 
Directive 2000/78/EC. 
Equal opportunities for people with disabilities; A European Action Plan, COM(2003) 650 final. 

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5. 

ONGOING ACTIVITIES AT EU LEVEL 

Several measures are already under way at EU level and will be strengthened and continued. 

Accessibility requirements and standards 

Standards are a strategic tool for industry and for the public sector as well as a key enabler for 
new  market  opportunities.  Although  the  production  and  implementation  of  standards  are 
voluntary,  they  are  an  important  tool  to  support  the  implementation  of  policy  actions. 
European Standards on eAccessibility would contribute to the proper functioning of the single 
European  market  and  consequently  promote 
the  development  of  new  markets, 
competitiveness  and  employment  Thus,  the  Commission  will  continue  to  provide  financial 
support to specific activities proposed by the European Standardisation Organisations (ESO) 
in  the  framework  of  the  European  Standardisation  Action  Plan  or  issuing  mandates  to  the 
ESO21. 

Accessibility requirements specified by standards must meet the needs of industry, designers 
and providers of products and services to avoid the hampering of creativity or innovation. At 
the same time they must meet user needs, and the involvement of users in the development of 
standards  is  therefore  essential:  a  balance  should  be  found  between  industrial  and  public 
interest. Standards should allow easy enforcement and reference in legislation, regulation and 
other instruments that promote accessibility. Free availability of standards or availability at a 
reduced  cost  would  make  their  uptake  easier,  especially  by  SMEs  with  limited  resources  to 
purchase them and for users to access them. 

Whilst  promoting  interoperability,  care  should  be  taken  that  patented  technologies  without 
reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) licensing are not promoted as standard solutions.  

Design for All (DFA) 

The  DFA  methodology  denotes  the  design  of  products  and  services  to  be  accessible  to  as 
broad  a  range  of  users  as  possible22.  DFA  is  now  well  established,  although  not  yet  widely 
practiced.  It  is  therefore  essential  to  continue  raising  awareness  and  promotion  of  DFA  in 
Europe. To this end, the Commission has set up a network of centres of excellence known as 
EDEAN23, which has over one hundred members.  

DFA not only allows a more thorough consideration of accessibility requirements when 
designing  a  product  or  service,  but  also  fosters  important  economies  by  avoiding  costly 
redesign or technical fixes after their deployment. 

The  basic  structure  for  a  European  DFA  curriculum  for  engineers  and  designers  has  been 
developed and several pilot courses have been provided in Member States. Strengthening its 
use in post secondary and professional education is a way of ensuring a future accessible IS.24 

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This process is governed by Directive 98/34: 
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/1998/l_204/l_20419980721en00370048.pdf 
There are three main strategies for DFA: 1) design for most users without modifications, 2) design for 
easy  adaptation  to  different  users  (e.g.  using  adjustable  interfaces),  3)  design  with  a  view  to  connect 
seamlessly to assistive devices. 
Website EDEAN (European Design for All e-Accessibility Network), http://www.e-accessibility.org/ 
DFA curriculum report of IDCnet project. 

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The presence of an accessibility officer competent in DFA in relevant organisations, could be 
a way to professionalize eAccessibility.  

Web accessibility 

A 2001 Commission Communication  25 on accessibility to public websites was followed by 
Council  and  Parliament  resolutions  in  2002.  As  a  result,  Member  States  have  committed 
themselves to make their public websites accessible according to international guidelines26.  

Through  the  eAccessibility  Expert  Group,  the  Commission  with  the  Member  States  is 
including  new  evaluation  methods27  and  procedures, 
monitoring  developments, 
benchmarking,  data  collection  and  identification  of  best  practices.  Web  accessibility  is  an 
enabler  of  accessible  online  services  of  public  interest.  To  facilitate  this  process,  it  is 
important to encourage the development of authoring tools that encompass accessibility28. 

A need for certification schemes of accessibility has arisen from the fact that several Member 
States have binding legislation that mandates accessibility and the need to assess compliance. 
A European Committee for Normalization (CEN) Workshop29 is currently exploring adequate 
solutions.  

Benchmarking and monitoring 

Several Member States are introducing benchmarking for accessibility and monitoring in their 
national  legislation.  At  EU  level,  monitoring  of  web  accessibility  has  been  requested  by 
Council and the European Parliament. The Parliament also requested monitoring subtitles and 
audio description for Digital TV. 

To be able to further develop adequate European eAccessibility policies it is essential to have 
European  data  comparable  across  Member  States.  The  Commission  will  build  upon  the 
ongoing European monitoring activities, taking account of the revised Lisbon approach. 

The Commission maintains a dialogue with statistical bodies in order to develop and improve 
relevant indicators, in particular to mainstream accessibility questions in existing indicators. 

Research 

Research and technological development (RTD) is a fundamental element in the push towards 
an accessible IS. Almost 200 European RTD projects since 1991, representing approximately 
€ 200 Million in EC co-financing30 have already contributed to improving accessibility with 
increased knowledge of accessibility problems and required solutions. 

Specific results demonstrated possible solutions such as accessible remote home services for 
older  people  (including  alarms  and  emergency  services).  Solutions  have  been  developed  to 

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COM(2001) 529 final. 
W3C/WAI/WCAG1.0  Web  Content  Accessibility  Guidelines  1.0.  Version  2  is  under  preparation  and 
will address the evolution that has taken place in web technologies and facilitate testing compliance. 
Web Accessibility Benchmarking (WAB) cluster. 
W3C/WAI/ATAG Authorising Tools Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG). 
http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/activity/ws-wac.asp 
For examples of projects, see http://www.cordis.lu/ist/so/einclusion/home.html and 
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/directorate_f/einclusion/previous-research.htm 

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improve  access  to  digital  information  by  blind  and  partially  sighted  persons  (text,  graphics, 
3D  images,  coded  music,  television  programmes).  Systems  for  motor  impaired  persons  to 
facilitate  mobility,  manipulation  and  control  have  been  demonstrated,  as  have  services  to 
improve communication possibilities of hearing impaired persons including sign language and 
lip  movement  generation.  Other  examples  included  computer  environments  to  facilitate  the 
integrated education of children with disabilities or employment of adults with disabilities and 
contributions to policy-making (eEurope i.e. Web Accessibility, Design for all). 

Many  of  the  results  of  Community  projects  have  been  further  successfully  elaborated  in 
products in the market, or the knowledge developed has contributed to the improvement of the 
accessibility of ICT products and services.  

As technologies continue to rapidly evolve, offering new technical solutions, it is essential to 
invest in research to reap the significant potential that they have for people with disabilities 
and older persons. The current proposal for the 7th Framework Programme integrates the need 
to  continue  and,  indeed,  to  expand  RTD  in  eAccessibility  so  as  to  further  develop 
European  assistive  technology  industry31  and  to  make  accessibility  an  everyday  issue  for 
mainstream industry. 

6. 

INCREASING THE E-ACCESSIBILITY OF ICT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN EUROPE – 
THREE NEW APPROACHES 

In addition to promoting the ongoing measures just listed, the Commission will foster the use 
of  three  approaches  not  yet  widely  used  in  Europe:  (i)  accessibility  requirements  in  public 
procurement, (ii) accessibility certification, and (iii) better use of existing legislation. 

Two  years  after  the  publication  of  this  Communication,  the  Commission  will  evaluate  the 
outcome of these actions. Following the principle of Better Regulation32 the Commission will 
hold  an  exchange  of  views  with  the  Member  States  and,  subject  to  full  impact  assessment, 
may  consider  the  possibility  of  taking  additional  measures,  including  legislation  if  deemed 
necessary. 

1. 

Public procurement 

The total public  procurement in Europe is about  16% of the  gross domestic product. Public 
authorities  at  all  levels  can  require  accessibility  features  in  the  goods  and  services  they 
purchase.  In  fact,  the  European  Public  Procurement  Directives  specifically  mention  the 
possibility to include DFA and accessibility requirements in conditions for tender (technical 
specifications).  

This  implies  a  clear  commitment  to  an  inclusion  policy  that  makes  the  products  and 
services  available  to  more  users,  citizens  and  employees.  It  encourages  industrial 
companies to include accessibility as a built-in feature of their products and creates a larger 
market  for  accessible  ICT.  Such  effects  have  been  seen  in  the  USA33  where  legislation 
mandates accessibility requirements to be included in federal procurement. 

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Access to Assistive Technology in the EU, a DG EMPL report, CE-V/5-03-003-EN-C 
European Commission ‘White Paper on Governance’ COM(2001) 428 final. 
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. 

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In the online consultation over 90% of respondents favoured the principle of public agencies 
requiring  all  ICT  products  and  services  they  buy  to  be  accessible.  Some  Member  States 
already  include  accessibility  requirements  in  their  public  procurement.  Shared  accessibility 
requirements  at  EU  level  have  the  potential  to  reduce  market  fragmentation  and  to  foster 
interoperability. 

There  is  a  strong  need  for  consistency  of  accessibility  requirements  in  public 
procurement  in  Europe.  To  this  effect,  the  Commission  is  preparing  a  mandate  to  the 
European  standardisation  organisations  to  develop  European  accessibility  requirements  for 
public  procurement  of  products  and  services  in  the  ICT  domain.  The  mandate  is  currently 
submitted to the Member States for consultation. It is foreseen to be issued to the European 
standardisation organisations by the end of 2005. 

The  Commission  will  encourage  the  debate  on  this  subject  with  the  Member  States  in  the 
framework of the eAccessibility Expert Group34. It will continue to collect experiences from 
Europe  and  to  encourage  an  international  dialogue  in  particular  with  the  US  through  the 
Transatlantic  Economic  Partnership  (TEP)  on  harmonisation  of  eAccessibility  requirements 
for public procurement. 

2. 

Certification 

It  is  not  always  obvious  when  buying  ICT  products  what  requirements  they  fulfil.  This  is 
particularly  important  when  buying  accessible  ICT.  Some  standards  exist  or  are  under 
development defining how products and services can be made accessible. However, at present 
there  is  no  reliable  means  to  assess  the  conformity  of  products  with  those  accessibility 
standards.  Adequate  certification  schemes  for  accessibility  of  products,  organisational 
processes and professionals (based on the European Key Mark35 and on European standards) 
would provide guidance to customers and clients who want accessible products and services 
and  might  give  manufacturers  and  service  providers  due  recognition  for  their  efforts.  They 
would also facilitate the monitoring of compliance with regulations demanding accessibility.  

In  its  January  2003  Resolution  on  eAccessibility  ,  the  Council  called  for  an  “eAccessibility 
mark” for goods and services. The 2002 Ministerial Declaration on eInclusion reflected that 
“a  European  web  accessibility  label  that  certifies  compliance  with  W3C  WAI36  guidelines 
could be considered in order to avoid market fragmentation”. 

The  Commission  will  study  together  with  the  key  stakeholders  possibilities  for  the 
development,  introduction  and  implementation  of  certification  schemes  for  accessible 
products  and  services,  including  the  definition  of  criteria  testing,  and  evaluation  methods. 
The possibility of self-declaration or third-party certification will also be investigated and the 
different  options  will  be  compared  for  their  effectiveness37.  The  Commission  will  launch  a 
study on this matter in the last quarter of 2005.38 

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The  eAccessibility  Experts  Group  coordinates  experts  from  the  Member  States  who  support  the 
implementation of the eEurope Action Plan. 
http://www.cenorm.be/conf_assess/keymark/keymarktext.htm 
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). 
The  online  consultation  showed  a  strong  support  (over  72%)  for  the  certification  and  labelling  of 
eAccessible  ICT  products  and  services,  with  significant  differences  among  target  groups  only  61.4% 
agreement  among  Manufacturers,  providers  or  sellers  of  eAccessibility  products  &  services). 
Additionally,  among  those  supporting  product  certification  and  labelling,  the  groups  “Private 

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3. 

Better use of existing Legislation 

Several  Directives  have  provisions  that  can  be  used  to  enforce  eAccessibility  (such  as  the 
Equal Treatment in Employment Directive39, the Directive on Radio and Telecommunication 
Terminals  and  the  Public  Procurement  Directives).  It  is  important  to  cooperate  with  the 
Member States, to develop a practical way of using these Directives to address eAccessibility. 

In  particular,  implementing  the  Inclusive  Communications  Group  (INCOM)40  suggestions 
would  resolve  some  existing  European  challenges,  e.g.  to  ensure  access  by  users  with 
disabilities to emergency services using the single European number 112, to have harmonised 
frequencies  in  Europe  for  assistive  wireless  solutions,  to  ensure  real  time  text  and  sign 
communication across Member States, and to facilitate the purchasing of accessible goods by 
public  authorities.  Possible  difficulties  in  putting  existing  legislation  into  practice  should  be 
addressed. 

The Commission, in its audiovisual policy dialogue, will encourage common or interoperable 
solutions  in  the  field,  for  example,  of  improved  access  to  digital  TV  programmes.  Such 
common solutions will allow the exploitation of economies of scale. 

The  “eAccessibility  potential”  of  existing  European  legislation  needs  to  be  fully 
exploited.  The  Commission  will  launch  a  study41  in  2005  to  identify  best  practices  and 
establish a dialogue with Member States and key stakeholders through the relevant groups in 
charge of the implementation of the Directives. 

7. 

CONCLUSIONS AND FOLLOW-UP 

This Communication and the results of the online consultation process show and endorse the 
European Commission’s determination to address eAccessibility issues and find solutions that 
(i) convey to Member States the urgent need to work together towards a consistent approach 
to e-accessibility; (ii) encourage industry to develop accessible solutions for ICT products and 
services;  (iii)  demonstrate  to  users  with  disabilities  the  active  commitment  to  improve 
accessibility in the Information Society. 

During  the  next  two  years  (2005-2007),  the  Commission  will  continue  to  raise  awareness, 
promote  the  use  of  the  proposed  instruments,  gather  evidence  and  continue  stakeholder 
consultation in order to take informed decisions in the eAccessibility domain. 

To  this  effect,  the  Commission  plans  a  study  to  begin  in  the  last  quarter  of  2005  on 
“Measuring  progress  of  eAccessibility  in  Europe”  in  order  to  identify  and  evaluate  policy 
options aiming at improving eAccessibility in Europe. The initial results of the study will be 
available in early 2007.  

individuals  with  a  disability”  and  “Public  Agencies”  clearly  favouring  mandatory  schemes,  while 
“Manufacturers,  providers  or  sellers  of  eAccessibility  products  &  services”  favour  voluntary 
procedures, with the remaining groups standing somewhere in between. 
See chapter Follow-up and conclusions. 
Council  Directive  2000/78/EC  of  27  November  2000  prohibits  discrimination  of  persons  with 
disabilities inter alia at work and encompasses reasonable accommodation including ICT. 
Formed  in  2003  and  made  up  of  representatives  of  Member  States,  Telecoms  operators,  user 
organisations and standardisation bodies. 
See Follow–up and conclusions. 

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39 

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A  follow-up  that  focuses  on  the  eAccessibility  situation  will  be  made  two  years  after  the 
publication  of  this  Communication.  It  will  include  an  evaluation  of  the  outcome  of  the 
approaches proposed here, following the principle of Better Regulation42 and, subject to full 
impact  assessment,  the  Commission  may  consider  additional  measures,  including  new 
legislation if deemed necessary. This eAccessibility work will in turn contribute to the already 
announced 2008 European Initiative on eInclusion43. 

42 
43 

European Commission ‘White Paper on Governance’ COM(2001) 428 final. 
COM(2005) 229 “i2010 – A European Information Society for growth and employment”. 

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