Introduction There are multiple identifiable needs and issues which concern persons with disabilities on a global scale. Throughout Europe it is estimated that 80 million people are living with disabilities.143 Therefore, the necessity of international co-operation to create a universal framework to uphold and enforce rights obligations towards persons with disabilities cannot be understated. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities attempts to realise these rights and places a particular emphasis on tackling the issues of nondiscrimination, under Article 5, and encouraging improved accessibility, under Article 9. These will allow affected individuals to enjoy their human rights at the fullest capacity. The European Union and many of its member states are party to this convention. As a result, they are committed to implementing a legislative framework which will create measures which will limit and eradicate barriers faced by people with disabilities across the European Union. This chapter will examine two recent directives of the European Union which attempt to tackle issues related to persons with disabilities and their subsequent implementation and impact on people living with disabilities in Ireland.
I.
The European Accessibility Act
Overview of the European Accessibility Act Following three years of legislative and interinstitutional negotiations, the European Accessibility Act was adopted by the European Union on the 9th of April 2019. The Act attempts to regulate and set accessibility requirements to assist persons with disabilities in the private sector with regards to products and services.144 The framework of the EAA is intended to assist the realisation of the CRPD, which as noted in the Act is binding and therefore it is necessary to ensure its development by adopting ‘concrete, enforceable and timebound benchmarks for monitoring the gradual implementation of accessibility.’145 The EAA is structured to harmonise with prior successful directives regarding 143
European Commission, 'European Accessibility Act' (Ec.europa.eu, 2021) <https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1202> accessed 17 November 2021. 144 Council Directive 2019/882 of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services, [2019] OJ L151/70. 145 Council Directive 2019/882 of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services, [2019] OJ L151/70.
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