Directive

Directive (EU) 2019/882 of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services

The Act of 8 March 2023 on accessibility requirements for products and services is the transposition of this directive.

The directive is particularly interesting for its annexes, which provide practical information on compliance, such as accessibility requirements, examples of solutions, the steps in the assessment procedure and assessment criteria.

The annexes refer to the directive on several occasions, so it is useful to keep it handy.

Annex I - Accessibility requirements for products and services

If you are affected by the law, you will find the requirements you must meet here. If you have any problems interpreting them, consult the examples of solutions in Annex II.

Annex II - Examples of solutions to meet accessibility requirements

These examples provide concrete examples of compliance. For example, if the requirement stipulates that video instructions must be presented in a perceptible manner, one solution may be to provide subtitles for people with hearing impairments.

To save you having to compare two annexes, the OSAPS provides a table comparing requirements and solutions.

Annex III - Requirements for the built environment

There is no point in bringing services into compliance if users cannot access the place where those services are provided. For example, a bank branch had its ATM installed at a height suitable for wheelchair users. However, the branch is only accessible via stairs.

This part of the directive has also been transposed by another law: the Law of 7 January 2022 on accessibility for all to places open to the public, public roads and collective residential buildings. All aspects of this section are detailed at www.accessibilite.lu

Annex IV - Conformity assessment procedures for products

This annex provides information on the obligations of manufacturers, such as internal control, technical documentation, the manufacturing process, CE marking and the EU declaration of conformity, as well as the responsibilities that may be assigned to an authorised representative.

Annex V - Information required for the conformity assessment of services

This annex specifies the form, content and location of information on the conformity of a service to be provided to consumers.

Annex VI - Criteria for disproportionate burden

This annex details the criteria that must be met in order to qualify for a derogation on grounds of disproportionate burden.