Today, the European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH) and the European Union of the Deaf (EUD) are launching Mapping Relay Services in Europe, a new joint report that reveals major disparities in the availability and accessibility of relay services across Europe, limiting equal access to telecommunications for deaf and hard of hearing people.
Based on research across 30 European countries, the findings reveal significant disparities in the availability, operating conditions and quality of relay services, which are essential for deaf and hard of hearing people to make and receive telephone calls on an equal basis with others.
The disparities identified in the report span all three types of relay services. These include Video Relay Services (VRS), which connect sign language users with voice callers through a sign language interpreter. Text Relay Services (TRS), which use a Communication Assistant to relay communication between text and speech, allowing users to type or speak directly. And Speech-to-Speech Relay Services (SRS), which support people whose speech may be difficult for others to understand. Together, these services enable deaf and hard of hearing people to communicate independently in their daily lives, including when contacting healthcare providers, employers, public authorities and emergency services.
The findings highlight a serious gap in Text Relay Services (TRS):
🔹 Only 12 of the 30 mapped countries have a confirmed TRS.
🔹 Just 7 of the 30 mapped countries provide 24/7 access for ordinary calls.
🔹 Cross-border access remains limited, only 6 out of 12 countries reported cross-border access to home-country TRS.
🔹 Only 9 of the 12 countries with a confirmed Text Relay Service provide 24/7 emergency access through relay services.
The publication comes at a crucial moment for EU policy. While the European Electronic Communications Code establishes the right to equivalent access and the European Accessibility Act introduces requirements for accessible electronic communications, neither establishes an obligation for Member States to provide relay services with consistent minimum standards for availability and quality.
The proposed Digital Networks Act offers a critical opportunity to close this gap. EFHOH urges binding EU requirements that ensure Text Relay Services are available 24 hours every day, without restrictions on call duration or usage and accessible when users travel abroad. This must include equivalent access to emergency communications, measurable quality standards, sustainable funding and stronger interoperability across providers and borders.
Equivalent access to telephone communication must become a reality. Deaf and hard of hearing people must be able to make and receive telephone calls with the same freedom, independence and reliability as everyone else, regardless of where they live or how they communicate.
