PUBLIC SERVICES : IMCO WANTS IMPROVED ACCESS TO PUBLIC SECTOR WEBSITES FOR ALL.

Websites managed by public sector bodies should be accessible to all, particularly to aged, handicapped and vulnerable citizens. This was the message from members of the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) who, in a vote on 27 November (30 votes in favour and three against) on the directive proposed by the Commission in December 2012, called for legislation to go a step further.

"Currently, handicapped people only have access to a third of public internet sites. It is extremely important not to exclude certain members of society - not only handicapped people but also the aged population," said the rapporteur, Jorgo Chatzimarkakis (ALDE, Germany).

Almost 100 million people experience problems in accessing public websites, for example to file a tax declaration, apply for unemployment benefit or enrol a child in school. The Commission has proposed that, by the end of 2015, most European websites for public services should speak', to enable blind people to understand them. Audio files should also be transcribed for deaf users.The EU executive has identified 12 categories of website managed by public authorities, which it says must be made more accessible. These websites concern social security, health, job-seeking, enrolment in university, and delivering personal documents and certificates.

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