EU Accessibility Requirements: Essential Facts for Businesses in 2026

Author: Level Access

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) establishes harmonised accessibility requirements across the European Union (EU) for a broad range of consumer products and services. While the EU Web Accessibility Directive focuses on public-sector websites and mobile apps, the EAA expands accessibility obligations to many private companies. The presumed compliance standard for both directives is EN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Accessibility is now a legal requirement across the EU. In June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) became enforceable, making accessibility a compliance priority for many businesses offering products and services to EU consumers.

The EAA builds on earlier EU laws, including the EU Web Accessibility Directive and country-specific mandates. For organisations operating in the EU, understanding how these laws differ, and what’s required for compliance, is essential to managing risk and demonstrating social responsibility in a highly regulated market.

Key insights

• The EAA establishes accessibility requirements for many common consumer products and services in the EU, including e-commerce and banking.
• The EU Web Accessibility Directive requires that public-sector organisations in the EU ensure web and mobile content is accessible to people with disabilities.
• While they impact different sectors, the EAA and the EU Web Accessibility Directive share similar requirements. EN 301 549 is the technical accessibility standard supporting both laws.
• Individual EU Member States have transposed the EAA into their national legal frameworks, and enforcement began in June 2026.
• Non‑compliance with the EAA can lead to fines, market restrictions, and lost business opportunities.

What is the European Accessibility Act?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an EU law adopted in 2025 aimed at ensuring consumers, including people with disabilities, have equal access to goods and services, while also streamlining cross-border commerce within the EU by harmonising differing national accessibility laws. It applies to many common consumer products and services—such as online shops, banking, smartphones, and payment terminals—in the EU, requiring accessible websites, apps, and interfaces.

To comply, organisations need to ensure that products and services are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for people with disabilities, including those relying on assistive technologies such as screen readers, assistive devices, and alternative input methods.

The best way for organisations to demonstrate that they meet these functional requirements is through conformance with EN 301 549, the harmonised EU standard for information and communication technology (ICT) accessibility.

The EU Web Accessibility Directive vs. the European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) and the EU Web Accessibility Directive (WAD) are part of the European Union’s commitment to furthering digital accessibility.

The WAD focuses on digital accessibility in the public sector. It applies to websites and mobile apps operated by public bodies, requiring them to make digital content accessible observing the EU standard, EN 301 549. Its primary aim is to ensure citizens can access public information, administrative services, and government‑operated digital platforms without accessibility barriers.

Meanwhile, the EAA is a consumer protection law passed to protect consumer transactions. It extends accessibility obligations to private companies and commercial offerings, covering a broad range of products and services provided to consumers across the EU market. These include retail, banking, electronic communications services, audiovisual media services, hardware, transport‑related services, and many products that rely on digital interfaces.

Despite these differences, the requirements for the two laws are largely aligned. EN 301 549 serves as the presumed standard of conformity (that is, the de facto compliance standard) for both directives.

Products and services covered by the EAA

The EAA covers a wide range of consumer products and services, including many types of digital experiences.

Covered products and services include:

• Consumer hardware and software with interactive computing capability.
• Banking and financial services.
• E‑commerce platforms.
• Electronic communications services.
• Audiovisual media services.
• Transport‑related services, including waterborne passenger transport services.
• Self-service terminals, including ticketing machines.

These products and services must offer accessibility features that ensure usability with assistive technologies and equitable access for people with disabilities.

Who must comply with the EAA?

The European Accessibility Act applies to economic operators that place covered products and services on the EU market. This includes manufacturers, service providers, importers, distributors, and private companies.

The law applies regardless of where an organisation is established. If a business serves customers in the EU, EAA compliance requirements are likely to apply.

Microenterprise exemption and disproportionate burden

Microenterprises with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover below €2 million are generally exempt from most EAA obligations. However, this exemption is limited and does not override other applicable EU laws or national laws related to accessibility.

The laws also allows exemptions where compliance would impose a disproportionate burden or fundamentally alter the nature of a product or service. Such claims must be supported with documentation and may be reviewed by the relevant market surveillance authority.

EAA accessibility requirements for digital products and services

To comply with the EAA, organisations must ensure that covered digital products and digital services are accessible to people with disabilities and compatible with assistive technologies.

This includes providing accessible user interfaces, predictable interactive elements, accessible multimedia content, and accessible support services such as helpdesks or chatbots. Accessibility must be considered across the full customer journey rather than treated as a one‑off technical task.

Functional requirements: Perceivable, operable, understandable, robust

The EAA expresses its accessibility requirements through four functional principles:

• Content and interfaces must be perceivable, with information provided in accessible formats (e.g., graphics should include image alt text and videos should include audio descriptions).
• They must be operable, supporting keyboard navigation and non‑pointer interaction.
• They must be understandable, with clear language, structure, and predictable behaviour.
• They must be robust, ensuring compatibility with current and future assistive technologies, including screen readers.

These functional principles align directly with the core principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring consistency between EAA requirements and established global accessibility best practices.

Technical standards: EN 301 549 and WCAG

The best way to demonstrate compliance with the EAA’s accessibility requirements is through conformance with EN 301 549, the harmonised standard for ICT accessibility in Europe. It defines detailed technical requirements for accessible products and services and incorporates WCAG  2.1 Level AA.

While WCAG focuses primarily on web content, EN 301 549 extends accessibility requirements to software, mobile applications, digital platforms, multimedia content, hardware, and other ICT.

Accessibility statements and documentation

Organisations subject to the EAA must publish accessibility statements explaining how their products and services meet accessibility requirements. These statements should outline known accessibility issues, provide mechanisms for user feedback, and describe planned accessibility improvements.

Technical documentation must also be maintained to demonstrate compliance during reviews by regulatory bodies.

Country‑specific requirements across the EU

Although the EAA harmonises accessibility requirements at the EU level, enforcement occurs through national laws. As a result, country-specific requirements, procedures, and penalties differ across EU Member States, including:

• Germany: The EAA is enforced through the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG), with detailed technical expectations and active enforcement. For more information, reference our guide to German accessibility laws.
• Italy: Decreto Legislativo n.82/2022 requires Italian organisations to conform to EN 301 549 and expands on the requirements of the Legge Stanca, first enacted in 2004. Visit our guide to Italian accessibility laws for more information.
• Spain: Spanish organisations are covered by the Ley 11/2023, which requires that many common products and services, including e-commerce, banking, and travel, are accessible to all users. Read more in our overview of Spanish accessibility laws.

Although no longer an EU Member State, the United Kingdom also maintains strict digital accessibility requirements for the public sector, aligned with WCAG 2.2. Read more in our overview of U.K. accessibility laws.

Enforcement and penalties for EAA non‑compliance

How EAA enforcement works

Enforcement is handled by a market surveillance authority in each Member State. Authorities may investigate complaints, request documentation, and require corrective action.

Penalties by Member State

Penalties for EAA non‑compliance vary across EU countries and may include fines, legal action, withdrawal of non-compliant products from the EU market, and ongoing monitoring obligations. Here are some examples of penalties for non-compliance:

• Germany: Businesses may face fines of up to €100,000 for selling products and services that are non-compliant with accessibility regulations and additional fines of up to €10,000 for neglecting to prove accurate information about the digital accessibility of their products and services.
• Italy: Companies already under the Legge Stanca may be fined up to 5% of their annual turnover if they fail to comply. Other companies may face fines of up to €40,000 for non-compliance.
• France: Private businesses with an annual turnover of €250 million or more that fail to comply with the Montchamp Law may face a fine of up to €50,000.

Key compliance deadlines and milestones

The primary EAA deadline was 28 June 2025, when accessibility requirements became applicable to new products and newly published digital content. Enforcement is expected to intensify across EU countries during 2026 as the monitoring authorities arm up their auditing and enforcement efforts.

Confidently achieve EAA compliance with the right partner

Navigating the European Accessibility Act and related EU accessibility requirements can be complex, particularly for organisations operating across multiple EU countries. Differences in national enforcement, evolving accessibility standards, and the need to align with EN 301 549 all add to the compliance challenge.

Partnering with an experienced accessibility provider can simplify this process. With more than 25 years of experience supporting both public and private organisations, Level Access combines technology with human expertise to help teams meet accessibility requirements, conform with recognised accessibility standards, and maintain long‑term EAA compliance.

Get in touch to learn how expert guidance can support your European accessibility strategy and future‑proof your digital experiences.