The federal cabinet adopted a draft law on Wednesday to reform the German Disability Equality Act (BGG). According to the proposal, all federal buildings must be made barrier‑free by 2045, and private companies will be required to provide temporary solutions such as mobile ramps or other measures whenever customers need them in order to access goods and services.
Other changes call for the creation of a federal competence centre that would support the use of plain language and German Sign Language, and for simplifying the certification process for assistance dogs.
Bundesarbeitsministerin Bärbel Bas (SPD) said that “the more barriers we remove for people with disabilities, the stronger our society becomes”. She described the reform as a way to realise a key goal of the coalition agreement.
The German Institute for Human Rights criticised the draft. Leander Palleit, head of the institute’s UN Convention monitoring office, warned that the proposal still lags behind the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. “The private sector is not obliged to ensure accessibility; it must act only on request and in individual cases, and even minor adaptations of goods and services are routinely deemed unreasonable regardless of actual cost”. He added that sanctions and complaint mechanisms remain minimal, rendering the anti‑discrimination clause largely ineffective in the private sector.
Palleit urged Bundestag members to revise the draft during parliamentary proceedings and to encourage private enterprises to gradually embrace greater accessibility. He cited examples from other countries, such as the United States, where statutory obligations for private‑sector accessibility are seen as essential for broad, lasting implementation.
In light of demographic changes, he warned that older adults and people with disabilities can no longer afford substantial restrictions when it comes to access to health services, housing, culture and leisure. “This draft not only falls short of the UN Convention but also risks being economically unsustainable in the long run”.