European Union: European Commission submitted proposal for a Directive on the accessibility requirements for products and services

On 12 February 2015, the European Commission submitted a proposal for a Directive on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States as regards the accessibility requirements for products and services, aiming to eliminate barriers to the free movement of accessible products and services and to improve the functioning of the internal market. The proposal was based on an impact assessment that identified significant divergences in national accessibility requirements, which hindered cross-border trade, increased compliance costs, and limited the availability of accessible goods and services. The Directive proposed common functional accessibility requirements for selected products and services, including general purpose computer hardware, self-service terminals, telephony and audiovisual media services, transport, banking services, e-books, and e-commerce. It provided for the use of voluntary harmonised standards under Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 to support conformity assessment and introduced safeguard clauses to prevent disproportionate burdens on economic operators, particularly SMEs. The proposal also supported Member States in fulfilling their obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and contributed to the implementation of the European Disability Strategy 2010–2020.