Liechtenstein's Disability Equality Act Amendment — Staggered WCAG 2.1 AA Mandate for Public Digital Services

Amendments to Liechtenstein's Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz (Disability Equality Act), transposing EU Directive 2016/2102, entered into force on 1 April 2024. They require the websites and mobile apps of public bodies — the state, municipalities, and public-law corporations and foundations — to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust, benchmarked against EN 301 549 V3.2.1 / WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Deadlines are staggered by publication date: websites published before 1 April 2024 have until 1 April 2026 to comply; websites and apps published from 1 April 2024 onward must comply by 1 April 2025; mobile apps must comply by 1 October 2026 regardless of publication date.

Enforcement runs through the Office for Social Services (Amt für Soziale Dienste), which has delegated day-to-day equality-office functions to the Liechtenstein Disabled Persons' Association (LBV).

Independent commentary published during the transition period found urgent need for action: as of 2024–2025, many public bodies were still working toward compliance rather than having achieved it, and no post-transition compliance audit has yet been published.

Read the full analysis: https://www.llv.li/de/medienmitteilungen/gesetzesbestimmungen-fuer-barrierefreien-webzugang-treten-in-kraft