We are pleased to announce the release of our latest report on the implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and its impact on deaf sign language users across Europe.
Revised in 2018, the AVMSD establishes legal obligations for audiovisual media services in EU Member States, aiming to coordinate national legislation in areas such as accessibility for persons with disabilities, including deaf people. However, our findings highlight that the current implementation still falls short of guaranteeing equal access in practice.
As the only supranational organisation representing deaf people at the European level, EUD has assessed the implementation of the AVMSD across the EU, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. The report identifies several systemic shortcomings, including limited sign language access, inconsistent enforcement across Member States, and a narrow scope of accessibility obligations. It also offers concrete recommendations for the European Union, its Member States and the AVMS providers to ensure full and equal access to audiovisual media for deaf people.
Key recommendations to the European Union include:
- Setting binding EU-wide targets and timelines for audiovisual accessibility, covering both subtitles and sign language.
- Funding and promoting best practices, including deaf-led programmes and content presented directly in national sign languages.
- Obliging audiovisual media service providers to develop and implement accessibility action plans in close collaboration with National Associations of the Deaf.
- Ensuring full accessibility of emergency information in national sign language, with no exceptions.
- Strengthen the obligations in the Digital Services Act (DSA) by ensuring the accessibility of online platforms and other relevant service providers in sign language, going beyond the scope of voluntary codes of conduct.
For Member States, EUD recommends:
- Guaranteeing that all audiovisual content, beyond news and emergency announcements, is accessible, including children’s programming, sports, culture, entertainment, and more.
- Mandating National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) to monitor accessibility targets and timelines in cooperation with National Associations of the Deaf (NADs).
- Requiring NRAs to develop and enforce quality charters and accessibility codes of practice in collaboration with NADs, ensuring quality sign language access across all audiovisual media services.
- Establishing accessible complaint mechanisms in national sign languages to ensure effective redress for accessibility issues.
- Strengthen their national legislation by enforcing online platforms and other relevant service providers under the scope of the Digital Services Act (DSA) to render their content accessible in sign language, going beyond the limited obligations of the DSA.
For audiovisual media services providers, EUD recommends:
- Contributing to the increase of sign language accessible programmes over time, in different formats, and in different areas of audiovisual content, in line with the AVMSD and the DSA.
- Consulting with the National Associations of the Deaf (NADs) on how to ensure the accessibility of their programmes for deaf sign language users.
- Complying with the quality charters and accessibility codes of practice developed by the NRAs and NADs.
- Investing in new developments for sign language provision in their services such as the production of deaf-led programmes, the employment of deaf journalists, and the involvement of deaf viewers in the co-design of new programmes and in test groups of their programmes.
This report is particularly timely, as the European Commission is currently carrying out an evaluation of the AVMSD to be completed by 19 December 2026. Our findings and recommendations aim to directly inform this process and ensure that the rights of more than one million deaf people across Europe are fully respected.
We invite all stakeholders to read the report and join us in advocating for stronger obligations on audiovisual accessibility at both European and national levels.
