A decree aligns the accessibility of online services with European standards

Decree No. 2026-816 of August 24, 2026, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0198 of August 26, 2026, strengthens the digital accessibility of online public services for people with disabilities. Signed under the Prime Minister and bearing NOR PRMJ2432005D, it amends Decree No. 2019-768 of July 24, 2019, relating to the accessibility of online public communication services. The text removes the sanctions component and aligns French requirements with harmonized European standards.

Alignment with Harmonized European Union Standards

Article 2 of the decree replaces Article 1 of the 2019 decree: online public communication services of the persons referred to in 1° to 4° of I of Article 47 of Law No. 2005-102 of February 11, 2005, must now be accessible in accordance with the harmonized standards whose references are published in the Official Journal of the European Union. These references are established under the conditions provided for in Article 6 of Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of October 26, 2016, on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies.

Article 3 supplements Article 5 of the 2019 decree: the accessibility framework now specifies the categories of services, content, and functionalities to which its criteria apply. It is subject to regular updates to ensure that the services concerned meet at least the requirements of the harmonized European standards.

Removal of the Sanctions Component

Article 4 of the decree restructures Chapter III of the 2019 text, the title of which, “Sanctions and Monitoring,” becomes simply “Monitoring.” Article 8, which provided for sanctions, is repealed. Article 9 is replaced by an annual compliance monitoring mechanism for the websites, intranets, extranets, and mobile applications of the persons mentioned in 1° to 3° of I of Article 47 of the 2005 law.

This monitoring is ensured by the Minister in charge of people with disabilities, according to procedures jointly determined with the Minister in charge of digital affairs. Where applicable, it relies on information provided by the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (ARCOM). A report based on this monitoring is submitted every three years to the European Commission, in compliance with the implementing acts adopted on the basis of paragraph 6 of Article 8 of Directive (EU) 2016/2102.

The Special Case of Digital Urban Furniture

Article 5 of the decree deals with digital street furniture, such as information kiosks or interactive screens. Digital street furniture installed before the effective date of the new requirements may be kept in service until the end of its economically useful life, provided that the resulting period of use does not exceed fifteen years from its commissioning.

The execution of the decree is entrusted to three ministers:

• the Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy, and Digital Sovereignty;
• the Minister of Health, Families, Autonomy, and People with Disabilities;
• the Minister of Action and Public Accounts.

A direct impact for all public sites

By replacing sanctions with annual monitoring and a triennial report addressed to the European Commission, Decree No. 2026-816 prioritizes support and progressive compliance rather than repression. For users with disabilities, it guarantees that public online services, mobile applications, and digital street furniture meet a common set of standards harmonized at the European level, with a maximum deadline of fifteen years for the compliance of equipment already installed.

Source: Decree No. 2026-816 of August 24, 2026, amending Decree No. 2019-768 of July 24, 2019, relating to the accessibility for people with disabilities of online public communication services, Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0198 of August 26, 2026, NOR PRMJ2432005D.