MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen (PPE) has asked the European Commission what steps it plans to take to ensure that people with hearing and visual impairments receive emergency communications on an equal footing with other EU citizens, particularly in light of the deteriorating security situation in Europe. The written question, submitted on 22 June 2026, cites the EU's obligations under Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which requires states to guarantee access to information, communications, and emergency services for persons with disabilities.
Pietikäinen's question contains two concrete asks. First, she requests the Commission outline specific measures to ensure that people with hearing or visual impairments can access information in crisis situations. Second, she asks how the Commission intends to guarantee full access to emergency communication actions defined in the forthcoming regulation on the EU civil protection mechanism. The question implies that current emergency alert systems—such as SMS, sirens, or mobile app notifications—may not be accessible to those with sensory impairments, and that the Commission should mandate inclusive design standards.
The policy orientation of the question is towards stronger EU-level requirements for accessibility in emergency communications, potentially through binding technical standards or guidelines under the EU civil protection mechanism. The MEP is pushing for a rights-based approach that treats accessibility as a non-negotiable element of crisis preparedness, rather than an afterthought.
Under European Parliament rules, the Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. The answer will signal whether the Commission is willing to embed accessibility obligations into the upcoming civil protection regulation or prefers to rely on existing national measures. Stakeholders most impacted include people with hearing and visual impairments (who would gain equal access to life-saving alerts), national civil protection authorities (which may face new compliance costs to upgrade alert systems), and technology providers of emergency communication tools (who would need to adapt products to meet accessibility standards).