ComCom member Ekaterine Imedadze and Head of IR Service Nino Grdzelishvili took part in the “Accessible Europe: ICT 4 All” forum, which was organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Commission. 

Opening statements were made by the European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli, Director of the ITU Telecommunications Development Bureau Cosmas Zavazava, Spain's Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure Maria Gonzalez Veracruz, and Spain's Secretary of State for Social Rights Maria-Rosa Martinez Rodriguez. Ekaterine Imedadze addressed the panel session devoted to the subject of European regulatory environment for digital accessibility, where she talked about the current digital accessibility conditions in Georgia and the activities implemented by the Communications Commission for the purpose of eliminating digital inequality. 

“I would like to introduce a project that is vital for our country, and in which the Communications Commission has played a key role. The Log-in Georgia project has been implemented with the financial support of the World Bank and the European Investment Bank. Its purpose is to provide the population of Georgia with access to high-quality broadband internet. Apart from the infrastructure, the project focusses on eliminating digital inequality and promoting digital inclusivity”, Ekaterine Imedadze stated. 

Apart from ComCom, the panel discussion involved representatives of the national regulatory authorities of Greece, Sweden, Lithuania and Croatia and the European Commission, who presented the measures taken by the EU member states towards ensuring web accessibility for people with disabilities. 

The speakers at the event highlighted the importance of creating an inclusive digital society and reviewed the regulatory environment in Europe in this field. The principles of the UN digital accessibility model and the challenges and opportunities that may result from its use were also discussed during the meeting. In addition, participants discussed the universal design of internet accessibility and digital accessibility, the overlap between artificial intelligence, metaverse and digital accessibility, as well as the role of new technologies in enabling digital accessibility. 

The purpose of the forum was to raise awareness about digital accessibility, share best practices, and prepare the ground for future cooperation to improve digital accessibility. Participants in the event included representatives of the European Commission, regulatory bodies of EU member states, telecommunications ministries, as well as the civil society and private sector.