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2024

AccessibleEU centre: a first step towards an

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EU agency on accessibility
19.07.2022 EDF Disability Intergroup

The Disability Intergroup Bureau welcomes the adoption of the report

“AccessibleEU Centre in support of accessibility policies in the EU internal
market” in the European Parliament Internal Market and Consumer Protection
Committee (IMCO).

The Disability Intergroup would like to remind the Parliament’s resolution

calling the European Commission to establish the EU Access Board, a new
European agency on accessibility similar to other successful public bodies in
countries such as the US or Poland. Hence, the AccessibleEU centre,
through its work, must pave the way for the EU to set up a regulatory agency
aiming at boosting accessibility for persons with disabilities in all areas of life.

In this same vein, the Disability Intergroup expects the European Commission
to take into full consideration the recommendations laid down by the IMCO
Committee, and requests the Commission and the organisation managing the
AccessibleEU centre to set up a physical centre which is open to all EU
citizens and gives visibility to accessibility as a human right.

The creation of the AccessibleEU centre in 2022, as announced in the

European Disability Rights Strategy 2021-2030, should aim at supporting the
implementation of accessibility policies across the EU, and set the
collaboration between the Commission, Member States, accessibility
professionals and persons with disabilities in matters related to accessibility.

Given its importance, the co-chairs of the Disability Intergroup are grateful for
the work done by their colleague Katrin Langensiepen, rapporteur of the
report, and commit themselves to continue working for a future real European
agency on accessibility that is transformative and impactful.