site.btaBulgaria Referred to EU Court of Justice over Accessibility of Products, Services for Persons with Disabilities

The European Commission Thursday said it has decided to refer Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to incorporate into its national law the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882 on accessibility of products and services for persons with disabilities. While Bulgaria had announced to propose a draft law transposing the European Accessibility Act and to submit it to the National Assembly in December 2023, the Commission has not yet received any formal notification from the Bulgarian authorities. The Commission therefore concludes that the European Accessibility Act has not yet been incorporated into Bulgarian national law, the press release reads.

The European Accessibility Act requires key products and services such as phones, computers, e-books, banking services and electronic communications to be accessible for persons with disabilities. This will help increase active participation in society, including in education and in employment, as well as more autonomy and mobility opportunities of people with disabilities, representing more than 100 million European citizens.

The Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Bulgaria in July 2022 and followed up with a reasoned opinion in July 2023. Since Bulgaria has still not notified the incorporation of the new EU rules into national law, the Commission has now decided to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.