Digital declaration on accessibility of the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH

As a public body within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/2102, the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (BGE) endeavours to make its website accessible in accordance with the provisions of the Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (BGG) and the Federal Ordinance on Barrier-free Information Technology (BITV 2.0) implementing Directive (EU) 2016/2102. This declaration on accessibility applies to the BGE website published at www.bge.de.

The accessibility requirements result from Sections 3, paragraphs 1 to 4, and 4 BITV 2.0, which was issued on the basis of Section 12d BGG.

The verification of compliance with the requirements is based on an examination of the BITV/WCAG test accompanying the development. This was carried out by BIK (accessible information and communication) IT consulting on accessibility on 10 March 2020. This audit was commissioned by Consulting Piezunka & Schamoni Information Technologies GmbH.

This involved an audit of the existing website on the basis of the Federal Ordinance on Barrier-free Information Technology (BITV 2.0) of 21 May 2019. As a result, the BGE.de website was evaluated as “Non-BITV-compliant: test steps and pages (partially fulfilled or worse)” in 16 points. Based on the review, the website is not compatible with the aforementioned requirements. Most of the incompatibilities have been eliminated. The remaining incompatibilities are listed below.

A new evaluation ist scheduled for 2024.

• Accessibility barrier: Some link texts of older documents are sometimes not complete/meaningful (description: For some PDF documents there is currently no indication in the link text that the file is not accessible and no indication of the size of the document).
• Schedule: Analysis and remedial action in 2024

• Accessibility barrier: PDF documents – a few published PDF documents are currently not accessible.
• Schedule: The BGE is making every effort to provide older PDF documents in an accessible format in accordance with the PDF/UA standard (DIN ISO 14289)

• A video in sign language presenting the organisation of the BGE
• A video in sign language explaining the navigation of the website www.bge.de
• A presentation of the BGE in simple language under the menu item “Simple language”
• An explanation of how to navigate the website www.bge.de in simple language under the menu item “Simple language”

This declaration was prepared on 17 September 2020 and last updated on 2 January 2024.

As a public body, the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (BGE) endeavours to make its online offer www.bge.de completely accessible. In order for us to succeed, we need your assistance.

If you notice an accessibility barrier on www.bge.de that we have not yet listed in our accessibility statement, please report it to us at internet(at)bge.de (this will create an E-Mail). At this address, you can also request information on the implementation of accessibility.  

This email address represents the opportunity to contact the BGE electronically – or via the feedback mechanism – which is to be provided in accordance with Section 12 b, paragraph 2, number 2 Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (BGG).

The Federal Government Commissioner for the Interests of Persons with Disabilities has an arbitration board in accordance with 16 BGG. The arbitration board has the task of resolving conflicts between people with disabilities and federal public bodies.

If no satisfactory solution has been found even after your feedback to the aforementioned contact, you can turn to the arbitration board according to Section 16 BGG. The BGG arbitration board has the task of supporting out-of-court dispute resolution in conflicts on the topic of accessibility between people with disabilities and federal public bodies. The dispute settlement is free of charge. There is no need to call in legal counsel.

Further information on the dispute settlement and the options for submitting a request can be found at: www.schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de (external link).

You can contact the BGG arbitration board directly at info(at)schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de