The Accessibility Act – Using the single market to promote fundamental rights

The European Commission estimates that 80 million people in the EU have disabilities, and face a number of challenges that hamper their daily activities and hinder their social inclusion. To tackle some of these challenges, the European Commission is expected to publish a proposal for a European Accessibility Act by the summer of 2013, which will complement the existing EU legal framework in this field and support the creation of a market for accessible goods and services. In this Policy Brief, Annika Ahtonen and Romain Pardo give recommendations on how the Accessibility Act could use the market in order to improve the wellbeing of people with disabilities as well as their social and economic participation.