15.03.2022
EDF and Conseil Français des personnes Handicapées pour les affaires Européennes et internationales (CFHE) have sent a joint open letter to Cédric O, French State Secretary of Digital Transition and Electronic Communications (cc: Sophie Cluzel, State Secretary on Persons with Disabilities), regarding the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) currently in interinstitutional discussions.
We have called on the Council of the EU to support the European Parliament’s position as regards to ensuring accessibility requirements for online platforms under the DSA (Amendment 255 – Article 19 a (new)) and the DMA (Amendment 134 – Article 7 – paragraph 1).
The amendments proposed by the Parliament, which we strongly support, ensure legal coherence for accessibility requirements for digital services, by referring to the accessibility requirements of products and services of the European Accessibility Act. As a result, online platforms, which are essential services for digital participation, and accessing and sharing information, creative content, working, traveling, studying, enjoying leisure, will also be accessible for 100 million persons with disabilities in Europe. Digital services will also benefit from legal certainty, as they will know how exactly to implement accessibility requirements when providing services to users.
In addition to the open letter, EDF will arrange to meet the office of the State Secretary.
We invite organisations of persons with disabilities to call on your counties’ representatives in the Council to strongly support accessible online platforms under the DSA and DMA.
Relevant links:
- Open letter:
- EDF-CFHE open letter to Cédric O, French State Secretary of Digital Transition and Electronic Communications in English (word)
- EDF-CFHE open letter to Cédric O, French State Secretary of Digital Transition and Electronic Communications in English (PDF)
- EDF-CFHE open letter to Cédric O, French State Secretary of Digital Transition and Electronic Communications in French (word)
- EDF-CFHE open letter to Cédric O, French State Secretary of Digital Transition and Electronic Communications in French (PDF)
- EDF Position Paper on the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act
- EDF web article on DSA – The European Parliament agreed on safer and accessible online platforms for persons with disabilities
- EDF web article on DMA – MEPs require major digital companies to ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities
Contact
Mher Hakobyan
EDF accessibility officer
mher.hakobyan@edf-feph.org