Law comes into force on Jun. 28, 2025; service contracts agreed before then may run without modification until expiration, but not more than five years from said date.
Until Jun. 28, 2030, service providers have the option to continue providing services using products that they legally used to provide similar services before that date.
Self-service terminals lawfully used by providers to provide services before Jun. 28, 2025 may continue to be used to provide similar services until end of their economically useful life, which may not exceed twenty years after their commissioning.
Until Jun. 28, 2030, companies which employ fewer than ten, with annual turnover or annual balance sheet not exceeding €2,000,000 are excluded, except article 5.
Contracts concluded before Jun. 28, 2030 may run without modification until expiration, but not more than five years from said date.
Until Jun. 28, 2035, such companies have possibility to continue providing services using products that they legally used to provide similar services before that date.
BEL GVT approved a preliminary draft law implementing the EU directive 2019/882 about the requirements in terms of accessibility applicable to products and services.
Follows EU Jun. 2019 directive known as European accessibility act, see #147976.
Main Points
Preliminary draft provides for a partial transposition into Belgian law of dir 2019/882.
The goal is to make products and services more accessible to people with disabilities.
And also to increase the accessibility of relevant information for these people.
The scope of the preliminary draft is limited to e-commerce, banking service providers.
The preliminary draft imposes to them specific functional accessibility requirements.
Including the obligation to provide information by more than one sensory channel.
The obligations in terms of accessibility of the other services and products mentioned in the directive will be transposed by the other federal and regional administrations.
Next Steps
The preliminary draft is transmitted for opinion to the Council of State in order to then submit it to the King's signature, with a view to its presentation to the BEL PRL.
Preliminary draft will be entitled draft law implementing Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on accessibility requirements applicable to products and services, with regard to certain services, inserting the title 5 "Accessibility requirements applicable to services" in Book VIII "Quality of products and services" of the Code of Economic Law and inserting definitions and provisions for the application of the law specific to titles 4 and 5 of Book VIII in Books I, XV and XVIII of the Code of Economic Law.
Oct. 2023 Bill Adopted
On Oct. 27, 2023, BEL PRL adopted bill55K3433 amending various books of the Code of Economic Law and the Law of Aug. 2, 2002 on the supervision of the financial sector and financial services with a view to the partial transposition of EU Dir 2019/882 on accessibility requirements for products and services, as regards certain services.
The adopted text during the plenary session was further submitted for royal assent.
Law comes into force on Jun. 28, 2025; service contracts agreed before then may run without modification until expiration, but not more than five years from said date.
Until Jun. 28, 2030, service providers have the option to continue providing services using products that they legally used to provide similar services before that date.
Self-service terminals lawfully used by providers to provide services before Jun. 28, 2025 may continue to be used to provide similar services until end of their economically useful life, which may not exceed twenty years after their commissioning.
Until Jun. 28, 2030, companies which employ fewer than ten, with annual turnover or annual balance sheet not exceeding €2,000,000 are excluded, except article 5.
Contracts concluded before Jun. 28, 2030 may run without modification until expiration, but not more than five years from said date.
Until Jun. 28, 2035, such companies have possibility to continue providing services using products that they legally used to provide similar services before that date.
Regulators
BEL GVT
Entity Types
CNSM; Corp
Reference
OG 2023046827, 11/28/2023; Bill 55K3433, PR, 10/27/2023; Law 8/2/2022; PR, 3/17/2023; Code of Economic Law; Dir 2019/882; ESG
