As the rapid digitisation of economic, social, and public life accelerates globally, the accessibility of digital products, services, and hardware has become central to managing daily life and essential for human interaction. Concurrently, demographic shifts (including an aging global population) and an increasing awareness of accessibility needs highlight the necessity for inclusive digital environments. Digital accessibility is essential for ensuring full, equal, and independent participation in society for persons with disabilities and functional limitations. 

In Europe, this commitment is reinforced through comprehensive legislative and technical frameworks, notably the European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882) and harmonised standards such as EN 301 549 on Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services. Similarly, China’s evolving technical standardisation and regulatory landscape increasingly aims at mandating digital inclusion, barrier-free environments, and user-centric technology design.  

Within the framework of the EU-funded InDiCo-Global project, bridging technical communities, standards development organisations, and policymakers is key to advancing human-centric digital technology. As both regions navigate complex technological developments, international cooperation and technical knowledge exchange are essential to increase awareness and drive global standards for e-accessibility. 

Purpose of the Webinar 

This workshop will highlight experiences from the EU and China, two of the world’s largest economies representing distinct regulatory contexts. The event aims to foster dialogue and exchange between European and Chinese stakeholders on the development and implementation of technical standards and KPIs for e-accessibility. Bringing​​ together representatives from standards organisations, industry, technical communities, and public authorities, the workshop will explore the most relevant developments in regulatory frameworks and technical standardisation efforts in both Europe and China. 

By strengthening mutual understanding and exploring opportunities for future EU-China cooperation in digital accessibility, the workshop aims to raise awareness of the European Accessibility Act and supporting standardisation work in Europe through the revision of EN 301 549. Furthermore, it seeks to broaden the global adoption of EN 301 549, encouraging more countries to support its adoption as an international standard.  

Objectives 

The webinar will pursue the following objectives: 

• Strengthen mutual understanding of respective models for setting globally interoperable ICT and digital standards for e-accessibility, highlighting experiences and regulatory policies from the EU and China. 
• Facilitate knowledge exchange on best practices, policy initiatives, legislative developments, and technical approaches to e-accessibility, exploring in particular how the European Accessibility Act and Chinese legislation address digital accessibility requirements. 
• Increase understanding of China’s standardisation landscape, recent trends in accessibility and disability, and capacity building in digital standardisation. 
• Promote awareness of the European Accessibility Act and supporting European standardisation work through the revision and structure of the harmonised standard EN 301 549 (developed by ETSI, CEN, and CENELEC). 
• Promote the global adoption of EN 301 549, highlighting perspectives on its implementation and positioning it as a baseline for an international standard. 
• Encourage dialogue among policymakers, technical experts, civil society organisations, and private sector stakeholders on global approaches to digital accessibility, highlighting key challenges in the development, implementation, and adoption of accessibility standards. 
• Identify potential opportunities for cooperation and alignment between European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs) and Chinese counterparts to support global e-accessibility standards. 
• Strengthen EU outreach in Southern Asia with regards to standardisation work. 

 Agenda