Harmonized Standards and Technical Specifications.

Harmonized standards are technical documents that provide specific details on how to meet legal requirements. They are:

• Created by recognized European standards organizations (like CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI)
• Requested by the European Commission to support EU laws
• Published in the Official Journal of the European Union
• Voluntary to use — you can choose to follow them or find other ways to comply with the EAA

These standards play a crucial role in the EAA by translating general accessibility requirements into practical technical guidance.

When you follow harmonized standards to make your products or services accessible, you get a "presumption of conformity" — meaning authorities will assume you're meeting the EAA requirements covered by those standards.

This presumption:

• Provides legal protection during market surveillance checks
• Helps simplify compliance by giving you clear guidelines
• Reduces your risk of non-compliance issues

Remember that using harmonized standards is voluntary. You can choose other methods to comply with the EAA, but you'll need to demonstrate how your approach meets the accessibility requirements.

Technical specifications are temporary solutions used when harmonized standards don't yet exist for certain accessibility requirements. They:

• Fill gaps until full harmonized standards are developed
• Are adopted by the European Commission
• Also provide presumption of conformity when followed

For example, if there's no harmonized standard yet for making e-books accessible, the Commission might issue technical specifications to guide publishers until a full standard is available.

Following harmonized standards offers several advantages:

• Legal certainty: Evidence that you're meeting legal requirements
• Simplified compliance: Clear instructions on how to make products and services accessible
• Reduced testing costs: Standards provide established testing methods
• Market access: Products meeting standards can be marketed throughout the EU
• Innovation support: Standards provide a foundation while allowing for creative solutions
• Consistent quality: Standards ensure reliability for users with disabilities

Important: The presumption of conformity only applies to parts of your product or service that are actually covered by the standards you're using.

For example, if you follow a standard for making your website's text accessible, but the standard doesn't cover video content, you'll need to:

• Get presumption of conformity for the text elements
• Find other ways to demonstrate compliance for your video content

Always check exactly what aspects of accessibility each standard covers and ensure you address all relevant EAA requirements.

To find and apply standards for your business:

1. Identify applicable standards: Check the Official Journal of the EU for harmonized standards supporting the EAA
2. Assess relevance: Determine which standards apply to your specific products or services
3. Obtain standards: Purchase or access standards through your national standards organization
4. Apply requirements: Implement the technical specifications in your design and development processes
5. Document compliance: Keep records of how you've applied standards to demonstrate conformity
6. Stay updated: Monitor for new or revised standards that may affect your products

The European standardization process is ongoing, with new standards continuously being developed to address new technologies and improve existing requirements. For the EAA:

• The European Commission works with European standardization organizations to identify gaps where standards are needed.
• The Commission issues requests to develop new harmonized standards where needed.
• Stakeholders, including organizations representing persons with disabilities, participate in the standards development process.
• Technical specifications may be developed as temporary measures while standard development is in progress.

Businesses should regularly check for updates to ensure they are using the most current standards for compliance.