European Disability Forum: European Parliament, don’t miss the opportunity for a meaningful Accessibility Act!

Tomorrow [6 September], the political groups of the European Parliament will table amendments on the proposal of the European Accessibility Act. The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will propose changes on the text and adopt their lines regarding the European Commission’s proposal, as well as the amendments already proposed by the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO), which was responsible for drafting the European Parliament’s position on the Act. All MEPs will discuss and vote for or against these amendments during the plenary session on 14 September 2017.

Together with its members and partners, the European Disability Forum (EDF) has been actively campaigning for a stronger and more ambitious text that will bring a real change in the lives of all people in Europe, including 80 million persons with disabilities and 150 million older people.

EDF is calling on MEPs to:

  • Adopt a strong, binding clause on the built environment (Article 3 (10)).
  • Reject the amendment proposed by IMCO Committee limiting the applicability of the accessibility requirements to other Union acts such as public procurement or the EU Structural Funds (Article 1(3)) (reject amendment 78).
  • Re-insert the obligations for all businesses, including for microenterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (Art. 12) (reject IMCO Committee’s amendments 21, 80 and 126).
  • Include sector-specific accessibility requirements in the Annex I, including for Audiovisual Media Services to comply with the Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
  • Reject the limitation to transport accessibility proposed by IMCO Committee (reject IMCO amendments 77, 89, 90, 91 and 92).

EDF calls on the MEPs and the political groups of the European Parliament to support these proposed amendments to the text.

Every day this week from 12:00 to 14:30, EDF and its members are hosting an information stall outside the European Parliament in Brussels to raise awareness, and provide information about the Accessibility Act. EDF invites MEPs and all people to join them and have an open dialogue on this important issue.

Full article.