As of this writing, there are 27 countries in the European Union. This group of nations is made up of 447 million residents, many of whom work and travel across EU borders throughout the year. The formation of the EU in 1993 has lowered trade barriers and allowed Europe to approach the world with a unified front when necessary.
Despite the strength of the EU, each member state has its own identity and laws. It can be difficult to understand where the governing rights of a single country end and the overarching rules of the EU begin. Learn more about the accessibility laws that members of the European Union follow and why these union-wide directives are important.
Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities
One of the main directives that guide EU legislation comes from above the union itself. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was passed in 2008 and has been signed by most nations.
The goal of this directive was to stop focusing on the inability of individuals, which caused countries to take a welfare-based approach to accessibility. Instead, the directive calls on countries to follow a capability and inclusion approach. Laws and regulations should focus on protecting the rights of individuals and breaking down barriers, so they have the same access to society, along with any support systems they need. This key goal is stated in the preamble:
"To promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.”
Since its passing in 2008, most countries in the world have turned to the UN for guidance on creating accessible legislation, particularly in the digital space. Even countries with strong accessibility laws before the turn of the century didn’t have guidelines for navigating the online world. In the past decade, these digital laws have become essential in helping people with accessibility participate in our increasingly virtual society.
Web Accessibility Directive of 2016
It makes sense for the European Union to offer directives with digital accessibility guidelines. Because many countries have yet to develop clear guidelines on their own, the EU can set an example for member states to follow on a country level. Additionally, digital communication continues to stretch beyond borders. It isn’t limited by country or region. This means digital accessibility is an EU issue because it impacts residents regardless of where they live.
Each year, more services transition to online or have online options. Residents of the EU can make appointments online, submit paperwork to governing bodies, and apply for permits. As a result of these digital tools, lawmakers within the European Union have been striving to make content more accessible in the digital space. The Web Accessibility Directive was issued in December 2016 to ensure people with disabilities have equal access to these digital services. As the directive states:
“Accessibility should be understood as principles and techniques to be observed when designing, constructing, maintaining, and updating websites and mobile applications to make them more accessible to users, particularly persons with disabilities.”
Under this directive, every website or mobile app needs an accessibility statement and a feedback mechanism where users can flag inaccessible content. Member states of the EU must monitor public sector websites to ensure they remain accessible and follow modern best practices for users.
After this law was passed in late 2016, member states had just under two years to put the directive into law.
European Accessibility Act of 2019
Presently, one of the main drivers of economic accessibility across the European Union is the Accessibility Act of 2019. This law targets the European markets and requires companies to develop products with accessibility in mind.
Not only do inaccessible products exclude people with disabilities, but they make it harder and more expensive for people with disabilities to participate in society in the same manner as everyone else. For example, when ATMs are inaccessible, people with disabilities must visit the bank during open business hours. This limits when they can access services and places an undue burden on them to visit the bank in person.
And devices not built with accessibility in mind push people with disabilities out of the market. They may need to pay for alternative devices, which can get expensive.
These EU regulations aim to ensure devices are standardized and created with accessibility in mind, which should keep prices for assistive technology at a reasonable level across the continent.
Cultural beliefs also make an impact
While the European Union is a strong support driver for people with disabilities, different countries have unique protections and laws. This means that your experiences as a person with a disability might change depending on the countries you live in or visit in Europe.
For example, Gallup surveyed residents across 112 countries and asked whether or not their country is a good place to live if they have an intellectual disability. The Netherlands topped the list, with 91% of residents saying their country is a good place to live if they have an intellectual disability. Germany, Austria, and Spain also all ranked higher than 85%.
However, some other European countries weren’t rated as highly. Only 70% of residents in Italy and the Czech Republic feel like their countries are good places for people with disabilities.
Physical infrastructure is updated on a local level
Physical infrastructure can also illustrate whether or not a country in the European Union is supportive of people with disabilities. Luxembourg City won the 2022 Access City Award for its efforts to become barrier-free for everyone who visits and lives there. Barcelona, Spain, Helsinki, Finland, and Porto, Portugal, were also shortlisted for the award.
Contrast the Access City Award bright spots with concerns about Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Only 3% of the city’s metro stations are fully accessible; that’s nine out of 303 stations. The people who run the metro have said it’s not practical to make the stations accessible and the project is too costly.
Accessibility comes in many forms. Just because a country is subject to the laws of the European Union does not mean its cities have the accessible infrastructure or its residents treat people with disabilities equally. To achieve true accessibility and equality, society needs to take action to meet these requirements and break down the many barriers that still exist.
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