Agreement’s provisions on accessibility need to become a reality
We welcome the EU institutions’ agreement on the EU Digital Covid certificate, which includes provisions on accessibility for persons with disabilities. This is a clear improvement from the initial Commission text, that lacked such requirements.
The Certificate is meant to facilitate travel between EU Countries. It will provide a harmonised way to attest if someone has been vaccinated against coronavirus, has a negative test result or has recovered from infection recently. The Certificate being accessible is one less hurdle for persons with disabilities, who already face many barriers in independent travel. It is also important in case Member States decide to use them for other purposes, such as for entry into cultural events.
The agreement specifically mentions accessibility for persons with disabilities in article 8, paragraph (gb):
“ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities to the human-readable information contained in the digital certificate and in the paper-based certificate in line with the accessibility requirements included in Union law legislation.“
We are happy to see our campaigning efforts come to fruition, especially thanks to the Disability Intergroup of the European Parliament.
Yannis Vardakastanis, President of the European Disability Forum said: “The Certificates will be an essential tool for freedom of movement. We now count on Member States to deliver on this commitment and make them accessible.”