European Union: Directive on the accessibility requirements for products and services entered into force

On 28 June 2025, Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council entered into force, setting mandatory accessibility requirements for specified products and services to ensure their usability by persons with disabilities and to prevent divergent national regulations from disrupting the internal market. Member States were required to transpose the Directive by 28 June 2022, with full application from 28 June 2025, and report on implementation progress, including optional adoption of built-environment accessibility requirements under Annex III. The Directive applies to products such as consumer general-purpose computer hardware systems, self-service terminals including payment terminals, automated teller machines, and interactive information terminals, consumer terminal equipment for electronic communications and audiovisual media services, and e-readers. It also applies to services including electronic communications with provisions for emergency communications to the single European emergency number '112', audiovisual media access, e-books with dedicated software, and e-commerce. It mandates compliance with detailed accessibility criteria outlined in Annex I, covering perceivability, operability, understandability, and robustness, while allowing exemptions under Article 14 where compliance would impose a disproportionate burden or require fundamental alteration, subject to documented assessment.