More than 7 out of 10 European publishers are aware of the imminent impact of the European Accessibility Act, but less than 4 out of 10 (37.4% of the publishers producing e-book) are developing accessible e-books. This is revealed by APACE, less than a year before the entry into force on June 28, 2025, of the European Directive on the accessibility requirements for products and services. The publishing industry and organizations supporting people with visual disabilities are getting ready for this appointment stepping up efforts to produce and distribute accessible digital publications. Indeed, the European Accessibility Act requires publishers to produce their digital publications in accessible formats and for the entire publishing chain (online bookstores, hardware and software reading solutions, websites, and rights management solutions) to be accessible.
It is the APACE project (Accelerating Publishing Accessibility through Collaboration in Europe) – led by Fondazione LIA with the participation of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE) and co-financed by the European Commission as part of the Creative Europe program – that highlights the current state of the art. It does so with an in-depth analysis of accessibility practices adopted by European publishers across various market segments (fiction, non-fiction, academic and professional, educational) in 17 countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK). The goal is to understand the emerging challenges in complying with the European Accessibility Directive and identify the training needs required.
The vast majority of European publishing houses surveyed and affected by the directive (94% of those with revenues over €10 million and 83% of those with revenues between €2 million and €10 million) is aware that the European Accessibility Act will impact their activities. Overall, 70.5% of the publishing house surveyed is aware that the European Accessibility Act will impact their activities: however, only 37.4% is already producing accessible e-books, with a similar percentage planning to start by the end of 2024.
Significantly, 52% of micro-enterprises (publishers with revenues under €2 million and fewer than 10 employees) are aware of the regulation’s impact, even though they will not be bound by the regulatory requirements. This highlights the sector’s strong social awareness. Furthermore, about 30% of the microenterprises that publish e-books already have accessible titles in their catalogs.
Complying with the Accessibility Act’s requirements involves significant investments, as it is necessary to adapt existing production and distribution processes and acquire new skills in accessibility. However, an esteem of the actual economic impact is difficult. Some 62.4% of the publishers surveyed has not yet allocated a specific budget to meet the directive’s requirements, although 17.3% plan to do so by 2025.
The survey clearly highlights a strong interest in specialized accessibility training covering various aspects: from producing accessible e-books to providing alternative descriptions for images and creating accessibility metadata. However, 93.1% reported not having access to or being aware of public funding, either national or European, to support the necessary investments or initiate training projects in this area. [For more details on the survey results, see here for a summary and a data sheet]. “This survey highlights the growing commitment of the European publishing sector toward accessibility, but it also underscores the need for continuous training, collaboration between countries and stakeholders, and the role of the European Union in supporting change. Many challenges remain for the sector, such as the availability of efficient software for producing accessible versions, as the current options are not fully adequate. Only through a joint effort we can be ready by June 2025 and, more importantly, ensure truly accessible publications for all,” says Cristina Mussinelli, Secretary General of Fondazione LIA.
“So far, innovation to ensure the accessibility of e-books has been entirely entrusted to the social responsibility and sensitivity of European publishers. The APACE survey shows that publishers are responding admirably, but it also highlights the lack of public policies to support the private sector’s efforts,” comments Ricardo Franco Levi, President of the Federation of European Publishers. “I hope these findings will spur policy changes both in EU member states and the Union itself, given the ambitious goals of the European Accessibility Act”.
The full results of the survey will be presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair during the seminar “THE ERA OF ACCESSIBILITY: ARE YOU READY FOR IT?” held on October 16th at 1:00 PM in the Frankfurt Studio, Hall 4.
The full report on the skills gap analysis will be published on https://www.europeanaccessibilitydirectory.eu/the new website developed as part of the APACE project, which offers resources, guidelines, and events on accessibility in the publishing world.
The APACE partners include Fondazione LIA (project coordinator), the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels e.V. – German Publishers and Booksellers Association (BOEV), Sdruzhenie Asostsiatsia Blagarska Kniga – Bulgarian Book Association (ABK), Stichting Dedicon, Accessibility Library Celia, and Lietuvos audiosensorine biblioteka – Lithuanian Audiosensory Library (LAB).
