In June 2025, there will be a new law in Sweden which means that certain commercial products and services must be available to everyone, regardless of functional variations.
This applies, for example, to computers, smartphones, banking services, mobile applications and e-commerce.
Now the directive is praised for its inclusivity – and at the same time raises concerns about the major change required of companies.
READ MORE: New parking law to come into effect – criticized by Ica traders
What does the new accessibility directive mean?
The new accessibility directive, which enters into force on 28 June 2025, will ensure that more products and services are more easily accessible in an effective way so that anyone can use them and understand their content, writes Government Office.
Adaptations are mainly made by striving for a universal design on products, such as EU themselves term as a design for all. More concretely, it can mean larger text size on screens, height- and lowerability of facilities or clear user instructions for government apps.
What happens if a company does not meet the requirements? Yes – a control authority will review that the requirements are met, and decide on a penalty fee of at least SEK 10,000 and at most 10,000,000 kroner if that were not the case.
The bill is praised: “More inclusive society”
The new directive is praised for improving the standard of living for a large percentage of Swedes, and contributes to a simpler and more inclusive society for people with functional variations – the web agency writes 040 on its website.
Today, around 20 percent of Sweden’s population lives with some form of functional impairment, for example impaired vision or mobility, according to The authority for participation (MFD).
Today, approximately 20 percent of Sweden’s population lives with some form of disability | Gorm Kallestad/NTB
DON’T MISS: New law regarding car purchases has come into force – so you will be affected
Which products and services are covered?
According to the Government, which proposed the accessibility directive, the products covered are:
Self-service machines are one of the services that must be adapted according to the directive | Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT
The services covered are instead:
Banking and e-commerce services must also be customized | Photo: Helena Landstedt/TT Big change is required for many companies
When all new products and services have to be adapted, it means a big adjustment for many companies – who become mainly responsible for the change actually being pushed through.
– There is a lot of research and analysis going on about how companies’ websites should be better able to reach people with functional variations, says Azadeh Sarkheylilecturer in Informatics at Dalarna University, to SVT News.
But many are also positive about the change and emphasize that it is not only people with disabilities who benefit from accessibility adaptations, but all users. With smoother user experiences and simpler solutions, companies can expect a greater number of visitors, and thus increased sales, writes 040.
READ MORE:
New law applies from July 1 – it will be illegal to say
Now the new law comes into effect – here are the packages that are affected