Contents
- What is the European Accessibility Act?
- Which websites must comply?
- The 3 things your website needs right now
- 1. An accessibility statement
- 2. WCAG 2.1/2.2 Level AA compliance
- 3. Accessibility monitoring process
- What about smaller businesses (micro-entities)?
- Penalties for non-compliance
- EAA and its relationship to other regulations
- Practical checklist: 5 things to do this week
- Check your site's compliance baseline now
European Accessibility Act (EAA): What Website Owners Need to Know in 2026
The EAA entered into force in June 2025. If you run a commercial website, e-commerce store, or digital service accessible to EU consumers, here is what the law requires — and how to check your compliance today.
Quick start: The free EUComply scanner checks whether your site has an accessibility statement linked from the homepage — the minimum EAA requirement. Run it now in under 10 seconds.
What is the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) — Directive (EU) 2019/882 — is an EU law that sets common accessibility requirements for products and services. It came into effect for most member states on June 28, 2025.
Its goal: ensure that digital products and services are usable by people with disabilities across the EU. No more fragmented national accessibility laws — one standard for all 27 member states.
Key fact: An estimated 87 million people in the EU have some form of disability. The EAA was designed to give them equal access to digital services — and give businesses a single set of rules instead of 27 different national standards.
Which websites must comply?
If your website falls into any of these categories, the EAA applies to you:
| Category | Examples | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce | Online shops, booking platforms, marketplaces | June 2025 (active) |
| Banking & payments | Online banking, mobile payment apps, insurance portals | June 2025 (active) |
| Transport | Ticketing websites, real-time travel info, check-in portals | June 2025 (active) |
| Telecommunications | VoIP services, messaging apps, phone company portals | June 2025 (active) |
| Media & entertainment | Streaming services, e-books, video on demand | June 2025 (active) |
| Education | Online course platforms, university portals, e-learning | June 2025 (active) |
If your business-to-consumer (B2C) digital service is available in the EU market, you are likely in scope. The EAA also applies to B2B services where those services are also offered to consumers.
The 3 things your website needs right now
1. An accessibility statement
This is the minimum requirement and should be live today. An accessibility statement is a published page that:
- Describes your site's commitment to accessibility
- Lists which accessibility standards you follow (WCAG 2.1/2.2 Level AA)
- Explains how users can report accessibility issues
- Provides contact information for accessibility feedback
- Includes enforcement contact (your national equality body)
Use the EUComply scanner to check if your site already has an accessibility statement link on the homepage. If it's missing, that's the first thing to fix.
2. WCAG 2.1/2.2 Level AA compliance
The EAA references EN 301 549 (the European standard for digital accessibility), which in turn references the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The target level is WCAG 2.1 Level AA, with WCAG 2.2 gaining traction.
Key technical areas to address:
- Perceivable: Alt text on all images, captions on video, sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 for normal text)
- Operable: Full keyboard navigation, no keyboard traps, skip-to-content links, focus indicators
- Understandable: Clear labels on forms, predictable navigation, error suggestions on forms
- Robust: Semantic HTML, proper heading hierarchy (
h1, h2, h3), ARIA landmarks where needed
3. Accessibility monitoring process
The EAA requires that you monitor and maintain accessibility — it's not a one-time fix. Document your approach:
- How often you test (quarterly minimum recommended)
- Which tools you use (WAVE, axe, Lighthouse)
- How you handle reported issues (response SLA, fix cadence)
- Who is responsible for accessibility in your organisation
What about smaller businesses (micro-entities)?
There is a partial exemption for micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees and turnover under €2M). However:
- The exemption only postpones obligations — it does not remove them permanently
- Some member states have chosen not to apply the exemption
- Accessible websites perform better in search and conversion — there are business reasons to comply regardless of size
- If your site serves users with disabilities, the ethical case stands on its own
Business case for accessibility: Accessible sites have better SEO (semantic HTML, alt text, headings), lower bounce rates, and broader audience reach. The UK's Click-Away Pound survey estimated that UK e-commerce loses £17.1 billion per year from inaccessible websites.
Penalties for non-compliance
Enforcement varies by member state, but penalties can include:
- Fines proportional to the severity and duration of non-compliance
- Orders to make websites accessible within a fixed timeframe
- Publication of non-compliance (naming and shaming)
- Bans on placing products or services on the market
- Individual complaints can be filed with national enforcement bodies (e.g. equality authorities, consumer protection agencies)
Several member states already have active enforcement for public-sector accessibility. Private-sector enforcement under the EAA is expected to ramp up through 2026-2027.
EAA and its relationship to other regulations
| Regulation | How it relates to the EAA |
|---|---|
| GDPR | Accessibility overlays and usability tools sometimes collect user data — ensures privacy by design applies. |
| WCAG | The EAA's technical requirements are based on WCAG 2.1/2.2 Level AA — they are complementary, not conflicting. |
| eCommerce Directive / Consumer Rights | Accessibility affects the "clear and comprehensible" standard for consumer information. |
| NIS2 / DORA | Security baselines overlap — accessible sites with semantic HTML tend to be more robust. |
Practical checklist: 5 things to do this week
- Check if you have an accessibility statement — Run the free scanner on your homepage. If it finds no accessibility statement link, that's step one.
- Install a browser-based accessibility checker — axe DevTools or WAVE browser extensions can catch 40-60% of common issues in minutes.
- Test keyboard navigation — Can you tab through your entire site? Is there a visible focus indicator? Can you operate every feature with a keyboard alone?
- Check color contrast — Use the WebAIM contrast checker tool. Aim for 4.5:1 on normal text, 3:1 on large text.
- Add alt text to every image — Decorative images should have
alt=""(empty), informative images need descriptive text.
Want the full picture? Work through our free interactive EAA checklist — 24 requirements mapped to EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA, with a live score and prioritized fix list. No sign-up required.
Check your site's compliance baseline now
The EUComply scanner checks for EAA accessibility statement presence, security headers, and other technical compliance factors — free, no sign-up.
Run free scan →Passed? Add a free compliance badge to your site — client trust plus a dofollow backlink.
Works on WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace, Next.js — any platform.
For deeper compliance: The ComplianceDocs store has EAA accessibility statement templates, compliance documentation guides, and NIS2 vendor clauses — ready to download, fill in, and publish. From $29.
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. EAA requirements and enforcement vary by member state transposition. Consult a qualified legal professional for advice specific to your jurisdiction and business.
Further reading
How does EUComply compare with the established tools? See our head-to-head comparison — pricing, features and where each one falls short.