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European Accessibility Standards

Common European accessibility standards help remove barriers for persons with disabilities and others, for example older people. 

Accessibility Standardisation

If buildings and streets are not accessible, persons with disabilities are not able to go around. If information on a website is not accessible, persons with disabilities are not able to shop online.

Hence, European accessibility standards have been put in place to support a harmonised implementation of accessibility in key areas, such as the built environment, information and communication technologies, and for organisations to adopt a ‘Design for All’ approach.

When applied across Member States, these standards also improve the functioning of the internal market, by removing barriers to free movement of goods and services.

European Accessibility Standards

The Commission has instructed European standards organisations, including CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, to develop and implement accessibility standards in:

  • Information and communication technologies (European Standard EN 301 549 resulting from Mandate 376)
  • Built environment: (European Standard EN 17210, which is currently in the process of consultation)
  •  “Design for all” approach in products, goods and services (European Standard EN 17161 resulting from Mandate 473)
  • Websites and mobile applications (Mandate 420  updating European Standard EN 301 549)

Key EU legislation, such as the Web Accessibility Directive, the European Accessibility Act and the Public Procurement Directives, refer to the possible use of accessibility standards to comply with accessibility obligations.

The Commission encourages the participation of all relevant stakeholders in these processes, including persons with disabilities.

The EU also works together with other key players in the field of accessibility standardisation to support accessibility at the international level.

Mandate 587: aligning the standards with the European Accessibility Act and creating new ones

The Commission issued Mandate 587 to request the European standards organisations to update the accessibility standards on:

  • Information and communication technologies
  • built environment

  • Design for all

    These accessibility standards now need to address all the accessibility requirements of the European Accessibility Act.

In addition, three new accessibility standards nrrf to be developedin the areas of:

  • support services related to products and services (help desks, call centres, technical support, relay services 1 and training services)
  • non-digital information related to products
  • emergency communications, including the single European Emergency number 112

In addition, the M587 request the revision of a Technical report on accessibility and procurement.

Background

Accessibility is required by Article 9 of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, to which the EU and all the EU countries are parties since 2011.

The European disability strategy 2010-2020 and the Digital single market strategy both includes actions to promote the development of accessibility standardisation.

The development of specific accessibility standards is included in the European Commission standardisation plan and its annual Rolling plan for ICT standardisation.