Warsaw has won the 2020 Access City Award, the first one in Central and Eastern Europe. By involving people with disabilities and accessibility needs in its endeavour to make the city more accessible, Warsaw was able to make a substantial overall improvement to the city’s ease of access in a short space of time.
“With the Access City Award, winning cities can be an inspiration for other EU cities and beyond that encounter similar challenges,” said the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen at the award ceremony. “Warsaw, the winner of the 10th edition, is a model for others, showing that a lot can be done in a very short amount of time and that commitment can be key to success.”
The Award was launched by the European Commission and with the European Disability Forum, as one of the actions of the EU Disability Strategy 2010-2020. It aims to raise awareness of the challenges faces by disabled persons, and to promote accessibility initiatives in European cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants.
The European Commission received 47 applications for the 2020 edition. Estonia’s Tartu received a special mention for its grassroots approach to accessibility.
