Article by Stephanie Stephanou, Legal Advisor
In May 2024 the Cypriot Accessibility Law was passed which transposes the provisions of the EU Accessibility Directive (EU) 2019/882 into Cypriot Law. The Accessibility of Products and Services Law (L. 57(I)/2024) («The Law») which comes into force in June 2025 provides for equal and full access to services and products by people with disabilities.
The Law defines persons with disabilities, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as “persons with long term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which in interaction with various barriers may inhibit their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with persons who do not experience such disabilities”. This definition encompasses people who may experience functional limitations as well, such as the elderly.
The concept of accessibility is not new in the Cypriot legislative framework, as certain accessibility criteria regarding infrastructure were already in place (by virtue of Regulations of the Ministry of Interior) to render constructions accessible to persons using wheelchairs and/or experiencing mobility issues/limitations. The EU Directive, however, and consequently the new Cypriot Law, goes further than this to impose obligations on product manufacturers, importers, distributors and authorised representatives (categorised as economic operators) and service providers to render their products and services accessible in order to ensure full, effective and equal participation and enjoyment of products and services by people with disabilities.
The Law provides for the attribution of accessibility characteristics to products and services and stipulates for accessible channels of distribution, thus introducing the «Design for All» principle in designing new products and services or amending/adapting existing ones. The «Design for All» principle, as its name implies, provides for the ab initio design of products, services and environments to be usable by everyone, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for further adaptation. Economic operators involved in the product manufacturing and distribution chain and service providers will have to incorporate this principle in their initial design or subsequent adaptation models, processes and procedures by which they create, modify and distribute their products or services.
Banking Services and the Accessibility Law
Banking services, including support services such as call centres, fall within the scope of the new Law and the Law imposes obligations on banks as service providers to ensure that their services both in terms of their features and in terms of their distribution channels are accessible. This essentially means that banks will have to take into account accessibility factors at the stage of inception/design of a new service and/or modification of an existing service and at the stage of delivery of the service to their customers. The requirement of accessibility also extents to effective communication in an accessible format with the customer at the initiation of the business collaboration and throughout the provision of the service.
A transition period of five years has been granted for service providers during which service contracts agreed before the 28th of June 2025 may continue without alteration until their completion or until the 28th of June 2030, whichever comes sooner.
Harmonised Standards for the Accessibility Directive
It is important to note that currently harmonised standards by the European Standardisation Organisations (ETSI, CEN and CENELEC) are being developed that will provide further guidance on implementation tools and measures/actions for compliance with certain aspects of the Accessibility Directive. These standards are expected to be issued in 2026 and include the following:
• Harmonised standards for accessible ICT products and services (covers ICT channels of distribution and automated/digital information) – existing standards which are under review,
• harmonised standards for the build environment (infrastructure),
• harmonised standards for non-digital services,
• harmonised standards for support services and
• harmonised standards for the «Design for All» principle
ACB actions
ACB is closely monitoring developments in the EU in relation to the Accessibility Directive and to that effect it actively participates in the Accessibility Working Group of the European Banking Federation. A representative of ACB has attended a physical meeting in Brussels and will participate in upcoming online meetings on the issue. Moreover, ACB maintains an open channel of communication with the Cyprus Organisation for Standardisation (the official body which represents Cyprus in the European Standardisation Organisations) in order to stay informed of latest developments in relation to the creation of the harmonised standards mentioned above.
Furthermore, as mentioned above, ACB has created an Accessibility Working Group through which ACB members can exchange views and receive updates on the latest developments on accessibility issues.
It is very important to highlight the dedication, commitment and resources that ACB members have devoted in the pursuit of compliance with the Accessibility Act, which stems from the overwhelming and unequivocal support for the cause of equality of access and enjoyment of services and inclusion of people with disabilities. For ACB members, equality, accessibility and inclusivity represent the only acceptable philosophy of doing business and transacting with new and prospective customers and the public in general and the principle that “no one, absolutely no one should be left behind” is unnegotiable.
