The purpose of this paper is to identify policy measures that can improve effective access to assistive technology for persons with disabilities in the European Union.
It has four interconnected objectives:
- to examine how assistive technology is provided, financed and delivered in different Member States and identify significant differences between provision systems;
- to identify barriers experienced by persons with disabilities in obtaining assistive technology that meets their individual needs;
- to analyse how fragmentation between national systems affects the operation of the European assistive technology market, including market entry, competition, procurement, innovation and cross-border availability; and
- to develop practical recommendations for coordinated EU-level and national action.
This paper does not attempt to rank national assistive technology systems or establish a single preferred model for the EU. Nor does it assume that differences between Member States are, by themselves, failures of the internal market.
Instead, it distinguishes between three related issues.
- Access barriers for users within national systems
Barriers include insufficient reimbursement, restrictive eligibility rules, long assessment procedures, limited product choice, gaps between health, education, employment and social-service schemes, and inadequate information, training or follow-up support.
- Fragmentation affecting effective demand
National eligibility rules, reimbursement ceilings, product lists, replacing intervals, assessment procedures and procurement arrangements determine not only what individual users receive but also the size and characteristics of the market available to manufacturers and suppliers. Where these arrangements differ substantially between Member States, providers may face multiple distinct markets rather than a European market of sufficient scale, increasing administrative, market-entry and distribution costs, potentially leading to higher prices, reduced competition and lower availability of specialised or innovative AT.
- Barriers to market access and cross-border provision
These barriers can arise where suppliers must navigate different national approval, reimbursement, procurement or certification-related processes before users can obtain publicly supported access to their products, even where the underlying product can lawfully circulate within the EU.
This distinction is important. A low national reimbursement rate can create a serious disability-rights and affordability problem without necessarily constituting an internal-market barrier. Conversely, a reimbursement or procurement rule may have consequences extending beyond national social policy if it systematically restricts supplier entry, effective cross-border competition or user access to products legally available elsewhere in the Union.
The paper therefore examines both access for users and market conditions for providers, while retaining the ultimate policy objective of improving outcomes for persons with disabilities.
- Download Policy Paper on Assistive Technology in the EU (Word)
- Download Policy Paper on Assistive Technology in the EU (PDF)
Contact:
Alejandro Moledo – Deputy Director and Head of Policy
Contact: alejandro.moledo@edf-feph.org