European Disability Forum and AGE Platform Europe: Open letter to members of the European Parliament concerning the European Accessibility Act
The European Disability Forum (EDF), AGE Platform Europe and ANEC are deeply concerned about the draft report of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO Committee) of the European Parliament on the European Accessibility Act (2015/0278(COD)) published on 6 January 2017. The report is watering down the European Commission’s proposal and they believe it threatens to lead to an unambitious position of the European Parliament which will not represent the interests of EU consumers, nor promote their rights effectively, including 80 million persons with disabilities and 190 million citizens aged 50 and older. For this reason, today [31 January] these organisations are sending a joint letter to the Members of the European Parliament to draw their attention to several key elements of the report which threaten to adversely affect the scope, the accessibility requirements, the linkages to other Union acts, the definitions, and the mechanisms persons with disabilities can use to complain.
Dear Members of the European Parliament,
After reading the draft report of the IMCO Committee on the European Accessibility Act (2015/0278(COD)), published on 6 January 2017, the European Disability Forum, AGE Platform Europe, and ANEC are deeply concerned about the direction that this report is taking. It is watering down the Commission’s proposal and we believe it threatens to lead to an unambitious position of the European Parliament which will not represent the interests of EU consumers, nor promote their rights effectively, including 80 million persons with disabilities and 190 million citizens aged 50 and older.
Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) obliges parties to guarantee access “on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and system, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas.” The proposal for the Accessibility Act foresees that only certain products and services need to be accessible, such as smartphones, tablets and computers, ticketing machines and check-in machines, televisions and TV programmes, banking and ATMs, e-books, and online shopping. Even the Commission proposal is limited compared with the obligations under the CRPD.
EDF, AGE Platform Europe, and ANEC would like to draw your attention to the draft report and particularly to several key elements which threaten to adversely affect the scope, the accessibility requirements, the linkages to other Union acts, the definitions, and the mechanisms persons with disabilities can use to complain. If these amendments are enacted, the proposed law will not make any real improvement to the lives of EU citizens.
