Finnish digital accessibility legislation

 

The Finnish implementation of Directive EU 2016/2102 is called Act FI 306/2019. It is very similar to the European legislation, but a bit more specific in terms of scope.

In addition to applying to the digital services of public sector bodies, this act also applies to the digital services of:

  1. Private bodies that are at least 50% funded by public bodies.
  2. Public and private bodies providing electronic identification and payment systems.
  3. Public and private bodies operating in the water, energy, transport, and postal services sectors.
  4. Public and private bodies involved in financial investment, lending activities, and insurance providers targeting the general public.

Finnish implementation of the European Accessibility Act

Unlike some other European countries that have created separate legislation to implement the European Accessibility Act (Directive EU 2019/882), the Finnish Parliament has legislated several laws, which have been implemented as amendments to the Finnish Act on the Provision of Digital Services (Act FI 306/2019). These amendments were added to Finnish law between the end of January and the beginning of February 2023 and will be enforced starting 28th of June, 2025.

The various amendments include:

  • Finlex 102/2023 (in Finnish), Act on the accessibility requirements of some products. Adds amendments to regulate hardware used by consumers such as self-service payment terminals, and audiovisual devices like smart TVs, and e-readers.
  • Finlex 103/2023 (In Finnish), Act on amending Sections 1 and 4 of the Act on Market Control of Certain Products. This act amends the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency as the market surveillance authority for accessibility requirements for certain products.
  • Finlex 104/2023 (In Finnish), Act on amending the law on the provision of digital services. This act adds services to the Act on the Provision of Digital Services, including provisions for audiovisual content, e-commerce services, transport services, and other electronic communication services such as e-publications.
  • Finlex 105/2023 (in Finnish), Act on amending the law on electronic communication services. This act amends the Services that comply with the harmonized standards of Article 15 of Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament. It includes provisions for the accessibility of internet connection devices, audiovisual content such as real-time captioning, TV guides, and more.
  • Finlex 106/2023 (in Finnish), Act on amending the law on emergency center operations. This act adds provisions to the Emergency Operations Act, such as more ways to 112, including via text messages or interactive methods such as synchronized speech or video.
  • Finlex 179/2023 (In Finnish), Decree of the Government about the accessibility requirements of some digital services. This legislation adds provisions to Act 306/2019, including provisions for accessibility statements, banking and financial services, and e-book content and reader functionality.

As with the EU legislation, micro-businesses with 10 or fewer employees are exempted. Read more about the exemptions on Wunderpedia’s EU legislation page.

Enforcement

  1. Throughout Finland, the authority in charge of implementing this act is the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland.
  2. For some products and services, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency will possibly be the overseeing authority.
  3. Public or private sector bodies that do not comply are subject to fines, as described in the Finnish Act on Conditional Fines.

Resources