Two years after the presentation of the European Commission initiative, the Employment and Social Policy Council (EPSCO) adopted a general approach on Thursday 7 December on the Accessibility Directive (people with disabilities’ access to products and services). Micro-enterprises as well as the emergency services, however, are excluded from the scope of the directive, a point that the Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Marianne Thyssen, appeared to regret.
Similarly to the European Parliament, which reached its position in September (see EUROPE 11862), the ministers in charge of social questions adopted the conclusions as described in our publication (see EUROPE 11862). The micro-enterprises and emergency services, or more precisely the requirements on accessibility to public safety Answering Points (PSAP) and, in particular, reception of calls to the single European emergency number (112), will not be covered. The micro-enterprises were exempt due to their lack of resources, while for the emergency services, the request was made by several delegations who indicated that the directive, based on article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and affecting the internal market, could not encroach on the organisation of the emergency services in the member states.
The Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Marianne Thyssen, appeared to regret this decision, whilst welcoming the agreement. She said that she would have liked, “a more ambitious approach from the member states”. She added that, “In particular, I regret that the agreement does not include harmonised requirements to be used by public authorities when buying accessible products and services or when spending EU funds, nor to make the 112 emergency number fully accessible. This is a missed opportunity for public authorities to take the lead on accessibility”. She then expressed her hopes regarding the inter-institutional negotiations.
European Disability Forum disappointed. The European Disability Forum said that that text agreed by the Council is “far from” the disability movement’s demands and leaves out several “very important” elements outside the directive. It excludes, for example, an important provision that would make it obligatory for public authorities to use the accessibility requirements of the Act when buying products or services. The organisation also regretted that the directive does not affect EU Structural Funds. It also regretted that micro-enterprises were excluded from the directive. To the great disappointment of the EDF, access to the built environment or service (the building where banking services are provided, for example, should also be accessible), which was included in the European Parliament proposal is not in the position of the Council. The organisation is eagerly awaiting the inter-institutional negotiations.
At the European Parliament, rapporteur Morten Løkkegaard (ALDE, Denmark) welcomed the agreement and in a contribution made on Twitter but without commenting on the content, simply stated, ‘let’s get this moving’. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)