Joint Ministerial Decision 2573 ΕΞ 2026, measures of equivalent access for persons with disabilities to electronic communications services, Articles 3 to 7, made under Article 193(4) of Law 4727/2020 (Directive (EU) 2018/1972, Article 85(4))

Article 193(4) of Law 4727/2020 provides that a decision of the Minister of Digital Governance and the co-competent ministers, on a proposal of the EETT, takes measures to support consumers with disabilities and to ensure that the related terminal equipment, the specific equipment and the specific services that improve equivalent access, including total conversation and relay services where necessary, are available and affordable.

Article 85(4) of Directive (EU) 2018/1972 requires Member States to ensure that support is provided, as appropriate, to consumers with disabilities and that other specific measures are taken to make that equipment and those services available and affordable. Article 1(2) of Joint Ministerial Decision 2573 ΕΞ 2026 makes the beneficiaries of its measures the end-users with disabilities who hold a valid disability certification issued by a competent certification authority.

Article 3 requires providers of electronic communications services to ensure access to their networks for end-users with disabilities and to give them mechanisms to use total conversation or relay services, real-time text, instant messaging and speech-to-text.

Article 4(1) requires providers to offer end-users with disabilities, during the opening hours of their fault-management and customer-service departments, contact through total conversation or relay services or sign-language video calls, real-time text, instant messaging, speech-to-text and email.

Article 4(2) requires providers, on request, to make bills, contractual obligations and changes to contract terms or services available free of charge in audio form or in Braille, to offer an affordable alternative scheme of minimum itemised billing to blind and low-vision persons, and to serve end-users with disabilities with priority in customer contact and fault repair.

Article 5(1) requires providers to supply assistive terminal equipment with the features it lists, where such equipment is already available on certified specifications from suppliers. Article 5(2) requires providers to supply headsets, an uninterruptible power supply and equipment that supports augmentative and alternative communication, where such equipment is already available on certified specifications from suppliers.

Article 5(3) requires the assistive terminal and special equipment that providers supply to conform to standard EN 301 549 v3.1. Article 6(1) and (2) provide that use of the assistive services counts within the talk time and data of the end-user's plan, that charges for it are not higher than those of the provider's price lists, and that relay services are free of data charges at least within fault management.

Article 6(3) requires providers to supply the equipment of Article 5(2) at cost price and at least one type of the equipment of Article 5(1) at a price of up to EUR 70 to end-users with an overall disability rate of 67% or more. Article 7(1) provides that beneficiaries apply for the services and equipment with their disability certification where the provider's procedures require it, and lets providers verify the certification digitally or with the authority that issued it.

Article 7(3) provides that, where a subscriber is identified by telephone, an end-user with disabilities may be identified through speech-to-speech relay services or a video call in sign language. Article 7(4) requires that, where the framework in force requires the physical presence of the subscriber or identification by video call, an end-user with disabilities is identified through relay services with a three-way video call or a video call in sign language.

The Decision was published in Government Gazette issue B 761 of 16 February 2026. Article 10 starts its force nine months after publication. Article 9 starts the application of point (δ) of Article 3, point (δ) of Article 4(1), point (α) of Article 4(2) and paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 7 one year after publication.