The Riksdag has voted in favour of constitutional amendments to the Freedom of the Press Act and the Fundamental Law on the Freedom of Expression. The amendments will make it possible to regulate certain accessibility requirements in ordinary law, for example, to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities. The decision is a constitutional matter pending decision, which means that the Riksdag has taken a previous decision on the same matter.
The amendments to the Freedom of the Press Act and the Fundamental Law on the Freedom of Expression will mean that it will be possible for more requirements regarding accessibility to be imposed in ordinary law on products and services covered by constitutional protection. The purpose of the amendments is to ensure accessibility is provided for people with disabilities and meet the requirements based on membership of the European Union.
The amendments will entail, for example, that:
- the scope will be expanded to require the introduction and design of product information in a certain way, for example on a package;
- it will be possible to impose accessibility requirements related to information, format and function on such things as e-books and e-commerce services; and
- the obligation for network owners to retransmit accessibility services, such as subtitling and interpretation, will be applicable to programmes other than those of public service broadcasters.
The amendments will come into force on 1 January 2027.
Since the decision concerns the Freedom of the Press Act and the Fundamental Law on the Freedom of Expression which are both fundamental laws making up the Constitution, the Riksdag is required to vote twice on the proposal with the same outcome, and a with a parliamentary election between the two votes. The first decision on the proposal was taken on 22 April 2026, when the Riksdag voted in favour of the proposal. A parliamentary election has since been held.
Committee report (in Swedish):
Tillgänglighetskrav för vissa medier (vilande grundlagsförslag) (KU7)