Thursday, 03, Jul 2008 03:03
The more Europeans go online, the better the content available will be, an industry leader comments.
Viviane Reding, EU commissioner for information society and media, makes her remarks as the commission calls for the web to be made more accessible for those with disabilities.
It notes that 15 per cent of Europeans have some form of disability, meaning many cannot use websites or make the most of online services.
Ms Reding states: "The more people use the internet, the better for Europe's economy and the richer becomes online content."
The internet's publishing industry needs to make more of an effort to achieve an accessible web, she adds.
Last month, the director of accessibility at web design firm Fortune Cookie Julie Howell warned webmasters they have a legal obligation to ensure their pages are accessible.
She noted that small and medium-sized businesses can be vulnerable to "cowboy" web designers who pledge to improve accessibility but fail to deliver.