In 2019, the European Union laid down guidelines on digital accessibility with the European Accessibility Act (EAA). The aim is to give everyone equal access to telecommunications, software and the internet.
In general terms, accessibility means that every person, regardless of age or physical disability, has access to services, goods or buildings. The EAA defines the extent to which the EU market should be geared towards greater accessibility and which legislative changes need to be initiated before implementation.
The European Accessibility Act originated from the Web Accessibility Directive of 2016. The EAA has now further specified and refined these guidelines. Areas such as vending machines, television programs and the Internet have been added and are now provided for in the EAA.
The EU member states must now publish corresponding laws at national level by June 2022 that address the points set out in the EAA. These laws must then be implemented by the companies by 2025. The laws resulting from the EAA will replace the current accessibility guidelines, which vary from country to country. The new Europe-wide accessibility basis is now set to change this: Within the EU, there should then be relatively uniform regulations at country level. It is also worth noting that the new Accessibility Act now also includes private companies and makes them responsible. Previously, only public organizations were affected when it came to accessibility.
The products and services affected by the EAA include the following:
- Smartphones and tablets
- E-commerce services
- Computers and operating systems
- Televisions and digital TV services
- Banking services and ATMs, as well as ticket machines
- E-books
- Public transport systems and services (bus, rail, air and sea transport)
Why the European Accessibility Act is so important:
The EAA enables fair and equitable participation in society for all people, regardless of age and possible limitations. According to the Federal Statistical Office (2017), 7.8 million people in Germany alone are classified as severely disabled. Of this group, 97% have acquired the disability in the course of their lives. The purchasing power of this group is estimated at around 720 billion euros per year. The draft law is therefore also a kind of economic driver that aims to expand the market through accessibility and should therefore also attract profit-oriented companies.
