Experts Stress Accessibility as Core to Civic Tech

- The European Union's Web Accessibility Directive (WAD), in force since 2016, mandates that public sector websites and mobile apps are accessible, referencing the EN 301 549 standard, which aligns with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. A 2022 review of the directive showed progress, particularly at the national level, but found that websites for local and regional authorities were lagging. - Individual EU member states have established their own specific regulations to enforce this directive. For example, France uses the RGAA (Référentiel Général d'Amélioration de l'Accessibilité), which is based on WCAG 2.1 and includes 106 test criteria; non-compliance can result in fines of up to €20,000. Similarly, Italy's "Legge Stanca" is enforced by the Agency for Digital Italy (AgID), which can impose sanctions for non-compliance. - The upcoming European Accessibility Act (EAA) will extend accessibility requirements to the private sector for a range of products and services, with a compliance deadline of June 28, 2025. This act covers e-commerce, banking services, computers, and smartphones, aiming to harmonize accessibility rules across the EU. In Italy, the EAA has been incorporated into national law, expanding the reach of the original "Legge Stanca." - In Portugal, a national program promotes digital accessibility across all government services through guidelines and tools available at Accessibilidade.gov.pt. A notable civic tech initiative is the "+Acesso" mobile app, developed with the Salvador Association, which allows users to file official complaints about public buildings and businesses that fail to meet accessibility laws. - The European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, signed in December 2022, emphasizes a human-centric digital transformation and aims to ensure that technology serves and benefits all people in the EU. This aligns with the goal of making digital public services universally accessible. - The EU's Artificial Intelligence Act, the first major global regulation on AI, categorizes AI applications by risk level. While it doesn't directly detail accessibility requirements, it mandates that high-risk AI systems respect fundamental rights, with specific transparency obligations for applications like chatbots to mitigate risks of manipulation. The European Disability Forum has highlighted gaps in the current version regarding mandatory accessibility requirements for all AI systems. - A 2024 study by Capgemini revealed that 65% of public sector websites in the EU did not meet all accessibility measures reviewed. Another study focused on Germany found that a third of 228 public organization websites lacked information in plain language. - For businesses, particularly in the B2B sector, digital accessibility is becoming a critical procurement requirement. A recent report found that 82% of European professionals require proof of product accessibility when purchasing digital products for their companies.