What is the Accessibility Strengthening Act?
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 6:27 am
Accessibility means, for example, ramps and elevators as alternatives to stairs or acoustic signals at pedestrian crossings. But of course it means much more than that. In order to enable non-discriminatory participation of people with disabilities and older people, it is not only necessary to remove barriers in the physical world, but also those in the digital world.
In this article, you will learn what accessibility means for website operators and what legal requirements they will face from 2025 onwards.
The Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) aims to strengthen the participation opportunities of all people - regardless of their physical and cognitive abilities. The law implements the EU directive of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in Germany, hence the full name: Law to implement Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council on accessibility requirements for products and services.
The focus of the macedonia phone data BFSG is on the rights of end customers and consumers. It therefore instructs manufacturers and service providers to design certain products and services in such a way that they can also be used easily by people with disabilities. An important prerequisite for this is a barrier-free Internet. The law therefore also contains binding specifications for websites and apps.
When does the BFSG apply?
The Accessibility Strengthening Act was passed by the Bundestag on May 20, 2021 and published in the Federal Law Gazette two months later (on July 22). It will come into force on June 28, 2025, after a transition period of almost four years.
Who does the law affect?
The BFSG affects private sector companies ("economic operators") that place certain products or services on the market or offer them after June 28, 2025. Which products and services these are are listed in Section 1, Paragraph 2 (Products) and Paragraph 3 (Services).
Website operators must also ensure by this deadline that certain websites comply with the requirements of the BFSG.
According to paragraph 1, section 3, these are all websites through which consumers can conduct business transactions (“electronic commerce services”, e.g. online shops or providers of paid services). But websites for making contact, booking appointments and other interaction options must also meet the legal requirements according to the “ Guidelines for the Application of the Accessibility Improvement Act ”. As an example, the guidelines cite the website of a hairdresser’s shop that offers online appointment bookings. All websites of telecommunications services, passenger transport service providers and banks are also subject to the legal regulations.
Who is not affected?
However, private individuals and private websites are not affected by the law. Also excluded are websites that are aimed exclusively at business relationships between companies (B2B), as well as provided web content such as videos or documents that were produced or published before June 28, 2025 (as long as they are not pages with interactive content such as contact forms).
Service providers who employ fewer than 10 people and whose annual turnover is less than 2 million euros or whose annual balance sheet total does not exceed 2 million euros (so-called micro-enterprises) are also not bound by the Accessibility Strengthening Act.
In this article, you will learn what accessibility means for website operators and what legal requirements they will face from 2025 onwards.
The Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) aims to strengthen the participation opportunities of all people - regardless of their physical and cognitive abilities. The law implements the EU directive of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in Germany, hence the full name: Law to implement Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council on accessibility requirements for products and services.
The focus of the macedonia phone data BFSG is on the rights of end customers and consumers. It therefore instructs manufacturers and service providers to design certain products and services in such a way that they can also be used easily by people with disabilities. An important prerequisite for this is a barrier-free Internet. The law therefore also contains binding specifications for websites and apps.
When does the BFSG apply?
The Accessibility Strengthening Act was passed by the Bundestag on May 20, 2021 and published in the Federal Law Gazette two months later (on July 22). It will come into force on June 28, 2025, after a transition period of almost four years.
Who does the law affect?
The BFSG affects private sector companies ("economic operators") that place certain products or services on the market or offer them after June 28, 2025. Which products and services these are are listed in Section 1, Paragraph 2 (Products) and Paragraph 3 (Services).
Website operators must also ensure by this deadline that certain websites comply with the requirements of the BFSG.
According to paragraph 1, section 3, these are all websites through which consumers can conduct business transactions (“electronic commerce services”, e.g. online shops or providers of paid services). But websites for making contact, booking appointments and other interaction options must also meet the legal requirements according to the “ Guidelines for the Application of the Accessibility Improvement Act ”. As an example, the guidelines cite the website of a hairdresser’s shop that offers online appointment bookings. All websites of telecommunications services, passenger transport service providers and banks are also subject to the legal regulations.
Who is not affected?
However, private individuals and private websites are not affected by the law. Also excluded are websites that are aimed exclusively at business relationships between companies (B2B), as well as provided web content such as videos or documents that were produced or published before June 28, 2025 (as long as they are not pages with interactive content such as contact forms).
Service providers who employ fewer than 10 people and whose annual turnover is less than 2 million euros or whose annual balance sheet total does not exceed 2 million euros (so-called micro-enterprises) are also not bound by the Accessibility Strengthening Act.