Accessibility statement
This statement applies to content published on the domain:
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html
It does not apply to other content or websites published on any other subdomains. These websites and their content will have their own specific accessibility statement.
This website is managed by the European Central Bank. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible, including persons 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 level ‘AA’ of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2.
1. Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA. See the ‘non-accessible content’ section below for more details.
The website was last tested in March 2024.
2. Preparation of this statement
This statement was prepared on 28 March 2024.
The statement is based on a review of a representative sample of web pages by Test Partners Ltd, using a combination of manual and automated testing. In addition, the website was also tested using a variety of assistive technologies, and with several members of the public with accessibility needs.
3. Feedback
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of European Central Bank website. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers:
Email: webmaster@ecb.europa.eu
We try to respond to feedback within 1-3 business days from the date of receipt of the enquiry.
4. Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology
The European Central Bank website is designed to be compatible with the following assistive technologies:
- the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari browsers.
- in combination with the latest versions of JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver on iOS and TalkBack.
5. Technical specifications
The accessibility of the European Central Bank 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
6. Non-accessible content
Despite our best efforts to ensure the accessibility of the European Central Bank website, we are aware of some limitations, which we are working to fix. Below is a description of known limitations and potential solutions. Please contact us if you encounter an issue not listed below.
7. Known limitations for the European Central Bank website
- Images: some images, icons, graphs and controls with non-text characters do not have text alternatives.
- Transcripts: some of our video and audio content do not have transcripts.
- Video captions and audio description: Some of our videos do not have captions or, if required, audio description. We are continuously working on adding them to more videos.
- Headings: Some headings do not follow the correct heading hierarchy, which can cause problems for screen reader users. Some text elements that should be in heading tags currently are not.
- Table headings: A limited number of data tables are missing table headings and scope attributes. Screen reader software users may find these harder to understand as a result.
- Information and relationships: Some controls do not have enough semantic information for their purpose to be made clear to screen reader software users.
- Reading order: Where a photograph has a description of who the photographer is, the description comes before the control to display it in the reading order. This may be confusing for screen reader software users.
- Use of colour: Links can only be distinguished from the surrounding text by colour. Similarly, some of the data points in graphs can only be distinguished from each other by colour. This may make links difficult to find or graphs difficult to understand for low vision users.
- Keyboard operability: Some controls are not operable for keyboard-only users and screen reader software users.
- Bypass blocks: Pages do not have a mechanism to bypass the main navigation. This should not prevent keyboard-only users or screen reader software users from navigating pages. Screen reader software users are encouraged to use an alternative approach, such as the keyboard shortcut to jump to the first heading.
- Link purpose: Some links do not have sufficient context to be explicitly meaningful, which may be confusing to screen reader software users.
- Search: In the website search, and other search tools used to filter results, results are updated after each key press. Either provide a submit button or warn users in advance that this is the behaviour.
- Role and state: The role of some controls is not properly conveyed to screen reader software users, so it is not clear if they are for functionality or navigation. The purpose and state of some controls is not conveyed to screen reader software users, so it may be unclear what those controls do, or whether they work.
- Contrast: some combinations of text colour and their background colour may make those elements difficult to read for low vision users.
- Zoom: On a very small number of pages, setting Zoom in the browser to 200% may cause content to be cropped or disappear.
- Reflow: on a small number of pages, when Zoom is applied so that content reflows into a single column, this can cause some content to be cropped or disappear.
- Non-text contrast: In charts, some low vision users may find it difficult to perceive, or to distinguish data points from each other because of the contrast.
- 360-degree tool: On the Denominations page, a 360-degree tool allows users to view Euro notes from any angle. This tool is not keyboard operable.
- Notifications: some components present visual changes to a page, but screen reader software users do not receive an equivalent notification.
The European Central Bank commits to solve the accessibility issues highlighted in the Accessibility audit report by the end of 2025.