EABC Logo
 Information Technology Industry Council Log


October 23, 2005

His Excellency John Bruton
Ambassador and Head of Mission
European Commission Delegation to the United States
2300 M Street NW
Washington, DC


Dear Ambassador Bruton,

The European-American Business Council (EABC) and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) represent EU and US-based global companies that recognize the value of a strong EU-US relationship and transatlantic leadership in the world economy. Such leadership is essential in many sectors, and nowhere more so than in ensuring that people with disabilities have equal access to the latest technology and be full participants in a globalized economy.

The European Commission estimates that 17 to 24 million working-age people with disabilities live in the European Union; and according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. is home to about 30 million. The World Health Organization estimates that 600 million people of all ages live with disabilities worldwide. These are large markets that must be addressed, and many social and economic benefits can be gained by working together to make ICT products more accessible. Close cooperation between the United States and Europe, however, is essential to making progress on this issue. Failure to achieve cooperation will harm the ICT industry, the global economy, and, most importantly, people with disabilities.

To overcome the geographic and social “digital divide” and build an inclusive information society -- one of the primary goals of the European Commission’s i2010 initiative -- policy makers must avoid fragmenting the market by introduc ing unique national or regional requirements. The European Commission has, in fact, issued a Communication on “e-Accessibility” that notes the risk of a fragmented disability market, and cites as its main objective: “to promote harmonization on a voluntary basis and to help self-regulation.” We applaud this conclusion, but also note that avoidance of further market fragmentation must be complemented by the pursuit of global market harmonization.



EABC/ITI Letter to Amb Bruton, Page 2



A key result of the 2005 US-EU Summit was The United States and the European Union Initiative to Enhance Transatlantic Economic Integration and Growth. This declaration includes as part of the aim to spur “innovation and the development of technology,” a commitment to: “promote e-Accessibility for the disabled, elderly and other citizens with accessibility issues.” In order to succeed in this goal for the 2006 US-EU Summit and demonstrate a meaningful commitment to promoting e-Accessibility, EABC and ITI advocate renewing and invigorating the transatlantic dialogue on convergence of Eaccessibility policy. In particular, industry supports:

  • Formally linking the development of EU and US e-Accessibility standards policy. As the European Commission develops its ICT accessibility policies and the United States Access Board launches its refresh of Section 508, these processes must be coordinated so that harmonization of approach can be achieved. Transatlantic collaboration as an integral part of the development of new accessibility policies is a necessary step to achieve a global policy approach.

  • Strengthening the US-European Commission ICT Standards Dialogue. EABC and ITI applaud the inclusion of e-Accessibility on the ICT Dialogue agenda, and encourage continued collaboration through this formal mechanism with renewed commitment from both sides.

  • Maintaining openness and transparency in the development of EU and US e-Accessibility standards policy. In order to ensure that accessibility policies are both fair and viable in the marketplace, input from all stakeholders must be considered from the earliest stages of policy formation.

Our companies’ commitment to serving our customers includes making our products more usable and accessible to users with disabilities. EABC and ITI members have a long history of being committed to making ICT accessible to people with disabilities. We believe that all consumers – including people with disabilities and aging workers - will benefit from a global, harmonized approach to e-Accessibility which will ultimately result in greater choice of ICT at lower costs.

EABC and ITI member companies look forward to continuing our work and dialogue with the US and EU policy makers. Please do not hesitate to call upon us for further information and support.



M.Maibach Signature
Michael Maibach
President & CEO
The European-American Business Council
 R.Dawson Signature

Rhett Dawson
President
Information Technology Industry Council