Accessibility help

This web site takes into account users with disabilities. It is compatible with popular screen reading software. If you have difficulties using a mouse, the website can be navigated using only a keyboard.

The site is designed to work with a wide variety of browsers, computer types, operating systems and monitor colour-depths and resolutions.

Pages are developed according to recognised global standards set down by the World Wide Web Consortium, being compliant with HTML 4.01 Transitional and Cascading Style Sheets CSS2.1.

This web site is best viewed with a screen resolution of 1024x800 and looks best with 16-bit colour (65,356 colours or thousands of colours depending on your operating system).

We are currently working on making this site conforms to the Worldwide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, level AA.

Software to open documents

This website links to documents and files in different formats. You may need special software to read some of them.

This list can help you to download free software to open these files:

How to change Computers or Browsers settings

Changing computers or browsers settings can make them easier to use. For example, you can increase the size and the colour of text on the screen.

You can change the settings on your computer to:

increase the size of text
increase the size of the mouse pointer and adjust its speed
modify the colours to improve contrast or the brightness of the screen

This is normally done via the settings or accessibility options of the computer. The help section of the computer may show how to change the computer's settings.

Most computers have other basic built-in accessibility options including text-to-speech features, high contrast options and magnifiers.

Some software and browsers allow you to change the text size by selecting the view option in the top menu bar and altering the text size to large; or change the display on the screen via the tools or options menu.

Many computer programmes come with keyboard shortcuts and some also allow customising them to particular needs.

How to navigate using the keyboard

Tabbing Links

Press the TAB key to select links on the page. You can press TAB repeatedly to get across links. The selected link gets a distinctive display that can vary from different browsers or web pages.

Once a link is selected, you can trigger it by pressing the ENTER key on your keyboard. You can move backwards through links by pressing SHIFT + TAB together.

Filling in forms

Radio buttons

When you TAB into a form section with a choice of radio buttons you can change your choice using the UP and DOWN arrows or RIGHT and LEFT arrows to move to the next section after making your selection hit the TAB key. Press ENTER to submit.

Checkboxes

Navigate between checkboxes using the TAB key; to select a checkbox press the SPACEBAR and then press TAB to move onto the next checkbox. To cancel or deselect a checkbox press the SPACEBAR again.

Drop down combo box menus

After tabbing into a drop down combo box menu, press ALT and DOWN arrow together to open the list of links; then use the UP and DOWN arrow to make your choice and press ENTER to trigger the selection.

Access keys and how to use them

Access keys let you navigate without using a mouse Unfortunately, different browsers use access keys in different ways.

The following are the access keys across all EUROPA sites:

1 - Go to language selector
2 - Go to content
3 - Go to page navigation
4 - Go to navigation path
4 - Go to accessibility help
6 - Contact
7 - Search
8 - Legal notice

How to use Access keys

Browsers for Windows

Firefox: Hold down the SHIFT key and the ALT key and then press the number of the access key.
Internet Explorer: Hold down the ALT key, press the number of the access key, release both keys then press ENTER.
Opera: Hold SHIFT and the ESC key and the list of access keys will appear.

Browsers for Mac

Firefox: Hold down the CTRL key and then press the number of the access key.
Safari: Hold down the CTRL key and press the number of the access key.
Opera: Press the SHIFT and the ESC key and the list of access keys will appear.

Browsers for Linux

Konqueror: Press down the CTRL key, release it and then press the number of the access key.
Firefox: Hold down the SHIFT and the ALT key and press the number of the access key.