Marrakesh Treaty
The EU ratified the Treaty on 1st October, shortly anticipating the date (12 October) of entry into force of the related EU regulation and directive, and also the deadline (11 October) for the transposition of the directive in the laws of the EU countries. We are still concerned about the restrictive draft implementing provisions in some EU countries, e.g. France and Germany. EBU was represented by Bárbara Martín Muñoz at the ratification ceremony at WIPO and we issued a press release on that occasion.
European Accessibility Act
The Austrian presidency of the EU Council is playing a positive role to make the Council determine its negotiating position on pending issues – essentially about the scope of the Act – in the informal negotiations with the Parliament (‘Trilogue’). There now appears to be a political will to reach an agreement by the end of the year. Our ask: that an agreement be reached possibly by 3 December, European Day of Persons with Disabilities, and in any case before the European elections of May 2019, and that the agreement be as close as possible to the Parliament’s position. See our joint letter with EDF and 20 other European organisations and our press release ahead of the latest COREPER I meeting at the Council.
Pay-able Payment Terminals
The perspectives are good in relation to the European Accessibility Act: it is confirmed that the EU institutions agree to include all payment terminals in its scope.
Audio-visual Media Services Directive
The European Parliament’s plenary approved in block on 2 October the text agreed in informal negotiations (‘Trilogue’) between its rapporteur and the EU Council negotiator. It is expected that the Council will in turn approve the text in the coming days, leading to its adoption. EBU welcomed the significantly strengthened Article 7 on accessibility. A press release will go out on the day of adoption of the directive.
Web Accessibility Directive
23 September was the deadline for EU countries to transpose the Directive into national law and to inform the European Commission which national bodies will be responsible respectively for the enforcement of the Directive and for the monitoring and reporting on its implementation. On 12 October, two implementing acts were published in the Official Journal of the EU, which partly respond to EBU comments had made about draft versions:
There is currently a survey on current satisfaction and perceived barriers of users of public sector websites, to serve as baseline for assessing the future effects of the directive.