Analysis of the at ICT industry in Europe

There are currently approximately 45 million people in Europe who report a long standing health problem or disability. Further, the aging population means that more people will have to live with some sort of disability. Recent figures from the 2008-based national population projections EUROPOP2008 show that the share of people aged 65 years or over in the total population is projected to increase from 17.1% to 30.0% and the number is projected to rise from 84.6 million in 2008 to 151.5 million in 2060. Many assistive technology devices are allocated to the elderly and the needs will not be smaller with an aging population. This study, "Analysis of the Assistive Technologies Information and Communication Technologies (AT ICT) industry in Europe", has been commissioned by the European Commission. Its global objective has been to gain information as to the state of the EU AT ICT industry and develop conclusions and recommendations to what steps can be taken to improve the competitiveness of the companies which form this industry.