Web accessibility to be mandatory in Europe?

The 25 EC member states and nine accession countries have all signed up to a new inclusion plan that could make accessibility in e-procurement mandatory.

The 34 countries all signed an agreement in Riga yesterday, committing themselves to the 'internet for all' action plan, designed to ensure the most web-disadvantaged groups can get online.

The EC has now pledged to increase broadband coverage across the continent to 90 per cent by 2010. Currently, rural areas are still underserved, according to the Commission, with around 60 per cent penetration. Urban areas fare better and are already at the 90 per cent mark.

The EC has also committed to putting new measures in place to halve exclusion rates in skills and digital literacy by 2010.

The question of accessibility for disabled people looms large in the EC's plan for inclusion too. The Commission is studying the possible introduction of mandatory accessibility standards in public procurement, to be brought in by 2010. The EC is also considering legislation to improve e-accessibility.

According to recent research, 81 per cent of websites in the UK are inaccessible to disabled people, while a separate report found only three per cent of European public sector websites met W3C accessibility guidelines.

A spokeswoman for Socitm (Society of Information Technology Management) said the UK has being doing its bit for accessibility.

She told silicon.com: "Local authorities are doing better than the private sector by far. It's something that sector is aware of and taking action on but it is a challenging issue."