Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 October 2023
466. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when it is intended to issue guidance to businesses around the requirements and responsibilities under the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882); the length of time which will be given to businesses to prepare before the Act is commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44988/23]
View answerThe European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an important EU Directive that will introduce mandatory minimum accessibility requirements for certain products and services in the EU.
The Directive covers a range of commonly used products and services that are important for daily life. It advocates for a universal design or ‘design for all’ approach to accessibility, which means ensuring access to products and services for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others. The deadline for implementation of the Directive across all Member States is 28 June 2025.
I recognise the importance of the EAA as a tool for increasing the availability of accessible products and services in the EU. Implementation of the Directive will benefit citizens with accessibility needs, including persons with disabilities and the elderly. The EAA will also bring opportunities for businesses operating on the internal market, particularly SMEs, by removing barriers created by divergent accessibility rules across Member States.
The primary focus of efforts to date has been finalising transposition of the EAA. My Department has been working for a considerable period of time to coordinate transposition of this complex Directive with a range of Government Departments and public bodies. Currently, my officials are engaging with drafters in the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to finalise drafting of the legislative instrument that will give effect to transposition.
Once transposition is complete, that focus will shift to concerted efforts to prepare for implementation of the Directive by 28 June 2025. This work is expected to include interdepartmental and inter-agency consideration of operational procedures, capacity building, awareness raising and outreach. While my Department is coordinating transposition, implementation of the Directive will be advanced on a “mainstream first” basis, in line with the State’s commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This means implementation and oversight of the Directive will be led by those mainstream organisations already engaged in the oversight of products and services, who will be best placed to lead on sectoral preparations and guidance, with support from my Department and the National Disability Authority.
At European level, negotiations are being carried out to develop and update harmonised standards that will further support economic operators in complying with the Directive. An intra-European information resource on accessibility, Accessible EU, is also being developed to support stakeholders in implementing the Directive.
