Now in Sweden

Sweden amended the directive into national law by passing Act (2018:1937) on Accessibility for digital public service on the 1st of January, 2019.

Sweden's Accessibility Act: Act (2018:1937)

• Applies to the entire public sector, including government and municipalities.
• Covers digital services like websites, apps, and documents, including third-party content like social media.
• Requires compliance with the standards in the European Standard EN 301 549, WCAG 2.1 AA.
• Mandates providing users with means to report errors.
• Requires regular publication of an accessibility statement.
• Non-compliance can lead to fines until the issues are rectified.

Lag (2018:1937) om tillgänglighet till digital offentlig service

The new law in Sweden from 28 June 2025

Private Sector Responsibilities

In line with the European Accessibility Act 2025, the same accessibility standards required of public actors must also be met by private actors in various domains.

These include:

• Reading tablets
• Self-service machines
• General purpose computer hardware systems
• Banking services
• E-commerce services
• E-books
• Certain passenger transport services
• Services provided to consumers and relating to electronic communications services
• Services that provide access to audiovisual media services.

European accessibility act 2025

Ny lag ska öka tillgängligheten till produkter och tjänster

What happens if a company fails to meet the accessibility requirement?

Non-compliance consequences include fines until the issues are resolved. These are the known cases on accessibility issues in Sweden so far.

• SLRisks paying a 700 000 SEK fine for its website failing to meet accessibility standard. (Sverigesradio 21 June 2023)
• Pajalabostäder Risks paying a 1 100 000 SEK fine for lacking an accessibility statement and failing to address several accessibility flaws. (Dagesnssamhalle.se 14 March 2023)
• Ockelbo kommun Risks paying 700 000 SEK due to lacking accessibility. (Dagesnssamhalle.se 14 March 2023)