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Publication of the implementing acts under the Web Accessibility Directive

A few weeks before the European Day of Persons with Disabilities on 11 of October 2018, the European Commission adopted the implementing acts under the Web Accessibility Directive. Publication of these implementing acts in the Official Journal of the European Union took place on 12 October.

In light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities  (UNCRPD), promoting access for persons with disabilities to the internet, the implementing acts establish uniform conditions for the effective implementation of the Directive, aiming at ensuring that all public sector bodies’ websites and mobile applications are accessible by 23 September 2020 and 23 June 2021 respectively. 

Implementation of the Web Accessibility Directive

  • Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523 establishing a model accessibility statement
    Implementing Article 7 of the Directive, this decision establishes a detailed, comprehensive and clear model for an accessibility statement, to be provided with every public sector bodies’ website and mobile application. The accessibility statement shows the level of compliance with the requirements of the Directive. In cases of non-accessible content, public sector bodies are to include the justifying reasons and indicate the accessible alternatives used, where appropriate. Descriptions and links to a feedback mechanism and enforcement procedure are also to be featured in this statement whose two fold use allow it to not only provide information to end users, in particular those with disabilities, but also to be used for monitoring purposes.
  • Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1524 establishing a monitoring methodology and the arrangements for reporting by Member States.
    Implementing Article 8 of the Directive, this decision provides a transparent, transferable, comparable, reproducible and easy to use methodology for monitoring the conformity of public sector bodies’ websites and mobile applications with the accessibility requirements laid down in Article 4 of the Directive. The methodology includes regular in-depth and simplified tests to be performed on a sample of the websites and mobile applications. Whilst the simplified tests are carried out on a large sample aiming at detecting non-compliance, the in-depth tests conducted on a smaller sample aim at thoroughly verifying that all the requirements identified in Article 6 of the Directive are satisfied. Reporting arrangements, also comprised in this decision, establish the requirement of a triennial report, submitted by the Member States to the Commission.