'Fee-free' accounts existed way before this regulation. If you actually read the link it talk about fee-free in the sense of no charges for failed transactions.
No, the relevant part of the article is basic bank accounts.
The change (and the Directive) was the result of banks withdrawing fee-free basic banks across the bloc as a cost-cutting measure in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
The change (and the Directive) was the result of banks withdrawing fee-free basic banks across the bloc as a cost-cutting measure in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.