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Business, Economy, Euro
Taxation and Customs Union

Accessibility statement

This statement applies to content published on the domain: ‘https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/’.

It does not apply to other content or websites published on any of its subdomains. These websites and their content will have their own specific accessibility statement.

This website is managed by DG TAXUD. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible, including people with disabilities.

You should be able to:

  • zoom up to 200% without problems.
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard.
  • navigate most of the website using a modern screen reader and speech recognition software (on your computer or phone).

This website is designed to comply with the technical standard for websites and mobile apps, EN 301 549,  v.3.2.1. This closely follows level ‘AA’ of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1.

Preparation of this statement

This statement was reviewed on 14 December 2023.

The statement is based on a review of a representative sample of web pages by a third-party company, the contractor ‘Netcompany-Intrasoft’. The accessibility experts have performed the audit on the website on two different computer equipment, Windows, and Macintosh, with three different web browsers, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari. Furthermore, other accessibility assessment tools have been used, such as:  

  • Screen-readers: VoiceOver on MacOS
  • Accessibility tools: WAVE, Siteimprove, Google Lighthouse, AXE. 

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of the DG TAXUD website. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers:

  • [E-mail]: [TAXUD-EUROPAatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (TAXUD-EUROPA[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)]

We try to respond to feedback within 15 business days from the date of receipt of the enquiry by the responsible Commission department.

Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology

The ‘Taxation and Customs Union’ website is designed to be compatible with the following most used assistive technologies:

  • the latest version of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari browsers;
  • in combination with the latest versions of JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver and TalkBack.

Technical specifications

The accessibility of the ‘Taxation and Customs Union’ website relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

  • HTML
  • WAI-ARIA
  • CSS
  • JavaScript

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant  with technical standard EN 301 549 v.3.2.1 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. See ‘Non-accessible content’ for more details.

Non-accessible content

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of the ‘Taxation and Customs Union’ website, we are aware of some limitations, which we are working to fix. Below is a description of known limitations.

Known limitations for the Taxation and Customs Union’ website:

  • Keyboard navigation: The "Clear" button on the search is not accessible via keyboard. Users rely on keyboard navigation for accessibility, and the inability to clear content easily hinders the user experience.
  • Image accessibility: Many images lack descriptions. Screen reader users heavily depend on image descriptions to understand visual content, and missing descriptions result in inaccessible content.
  • Text images accessibility: Lack of descriptions for images with text makes the content unreadable for users relying on screen readers.
  • Section labeling: Sections labeled as "Article" cause accidental bypass. Mislabeling increases the risk of users skipping crucial sections, impacting navigation and comprehension.
  • Document card structure: Document cards are not labeled as a content group. Grouping helps users understand and navigate related content; lack of labeling hinders comprehension and navigation.
  • Document card navigation: PDF Link is accessible before text content in some Document Cards. Misordered download links in documents make it challenging for users to understand the context before accessing the content.
  • Table accessibility: Table columns read one per line, requiring users to memorize titles. The current keyboard navigation creates cognitive load.
  • Responsive menu: The responsive menu opens with a focus on the close button. Misordered navigation elements can disorient users, impacting their understanding of the page structure.
  • Text formatting: The "Bold" tag is used for text formatting instead of <strong>. Screen reader users may miss important formatting cues as a result of not using semantic HTML elements for proper structuring.
  • Content formatting: Semantic HTML should be used for structure; improper usage can affect accessibility and device compatibility.
  • Translation module: The modal controlled by a button is absent, potentially causing issues. Additionally, an invalid aria-label attribute on a link within the module may affect the link's accessibility for users.
  • Navigation: Elements are not highlighted on focus. Visual feedback is crucial for keyboard and screen reader users to understand their current focus; missing feedback can lead to confusion.
  • Non-functioning links: There are some non-functioning links that can lead to frustration and confusion.
  • Generic link titles: Non-descriptive links can lead to ambiguity and confusion.
  • Multi-used link titles: Multiple destinations under the same link title can cause confusion.
  • Link accessibility: Users with color vision deficiencies may miss such links; reliance on color alone is not accessible.