Purpose and Definitions

This law makes the EU market work better. It creates the same rules for accessible products and services in all EU countries. These rules help remove barriers that stop accessible products and services from moving between countries.

With these rules, more accessible products and services will be available for everyone. People will also have better access to important information.

This law follows the United Nations agreement on rights for people with disabilities. The EU joined this agreement in 2011. All EU countries have agreed to follow it.

The UN agreement states that people with disabilities include those with long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory challenges. These challenges, along with various barriers, can make it hard for them to fully take part in society.

This law helps everyone participate equally. It makes regular products and services more accessible. These products and services are designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

Other people will also benefit from this law. This includes:

• Older people.
• Pregnant women.
• People traveling with luggage.

"People with functional limitations" means anyone who has trouble using or accessing things. These limitations can be due to:

• Physical issues.
• Mental issues.
• Intellectual issues.
• Sensory issues.
• Age-related problems.
• Other physical conditions.

These limitations can be permanent or temporary. When these people face barriers, they have a harder time using products and services. Products and services need to be designed for their needs.

Different EU countries have different laws about accessible products and services. These differences create problems:

• They block selling products between countries.
• They make fair competition harder.

After the UN agreement took effect, these differences became more obvious. These barriers are especially hard for small and medium-sized businesses. They cannot easily follow all the different rules across countries.

Because each country has different rules, small businesses avoid selling in other countries. Each country has its own requirements. The rules differ in what they cover and how detailed they are. Companies have to spend extra money to create accessible products for each country.

People who need accessible products, services, and assistive technology face high prices. This happens because:

• Not enough companies make these products.
• There is not enough competition to lower prices.
• Different rules in each country mean good ideas about new technology are not shared well.

Creating the same rules across the EU will help the market work better. These rules will:

• Unite the market for accessible products and services.
• Lower costs through larger production.
• Make it easier to sell across borders.
• Help businesses focus on creating new ideas instead of managing different rules.

We have already seen benefits from making accessibility rules the same across the EU. This has worked well for elevator regulations and transportation rules.