Members of the European Parliament have been hard at work to approve a draft bill which would require member states to make key products, such as ATMs, phones and banking services more accessible for persons with disabilities.
In a communication published by the EP, it made reference to the roughly 80 million people living within EU boundaries who live with a disability to a greater or lesser degree. Due to Europe's ageing population, where people are living longer and having less children, this figure is expected to rise to some 120 million people.
Member states already cater for persons with disabilities in some respect; however the fragmented approach has created issues in terms of cross-border mobility.
MEPs overwhelmingly approved amendments to the European Accessibility Act, which would "outline what needs to be accessible, but will not impose detailed technical solutions as to how to make it accessible, thus allowing for innovation".
Among the key products that are covered in the EEA, are ticketing and check-in machines, ATMs, PCs and operating systems, phones and TV equipment, consumer banking services, e-books, e-commerce, transport, payment terminals, e-book readers, websites and mobile device-based services.
Several media reports state that main push-back has come from the accessibility requirements also covering the "built environment", meaning that alterations would need pre-existing services. Members of transport unions across the EU have called for a serious impact-assessment and cost forecast to be drawn up.
The amended text was approved by 537 votes to 12, with 89 abstentions.
Socialist MEP Marlene Mizzi hailed the move for being the "first ever European horizontal accessibility legislation that will make access to key products and services".
When will this be made into law?
Now that the EP has decided on its position for the EEA, the ball is in the EU council of minister's court to decide its position. Broadly speaking, laws within the EU are passed after the Commission presents the text, and the EP and the Council go back and forth until both sides agree on a final version of the text.
Since the EP has agreed on its position, the Council is now negotiating a general text, which is to be used as the basis of negotiations with the EP. The feeling from EU insiders however is that a compromise is not easy to come by, presumably because of the costs associated with adapting already built up environment to cater for persons with disabilities.
Discussions between the three bodies, EP, the Commission and the Council are where the latter's concerns are likely to be made known.
What does this mean for Malta?
In August, The Malta Independent spoke with Agenzija Sapport - a government social welfare service entity - which said that accessibility is an issue within establishments and cultural events, preventing persons with disabilities from being able to access such places.
A big issue is inclusion and lack of access, therefore top-down laws intended to tackle such issues is aimed at improving the lives of millions across the EU, inclusive of those residing in Malta.