If you’re in need of a quick overview of this transformative legislation, look no further.
The basics: What is the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) officially came into force on the 28th of June, 2025, enforcing improved accessibility standards across the entirety of the European Union. The Act aims to remove barriers for people with disabilities and ensure equal access to digital and physical services throughout the EU.
Which products are covered by the EAA?
The EAA covers a wide range of consumer-facing products and services. In general, it prioritises the goods most useful to everyday life. These include:
- Websites and mobile applications
- ATMs and ticketing machines
- E-commerce platforms
- E-books and e-readers
- Banking services
- Transport booking systems
- Emergency communication services
The EAA also encompasses all packaging, instructions, and promotional materials for the above goods and services. If your organisation provides any digital services in the EU, particularly transactional or information-based services, the EAA applies.
How do I make my website compliant?
Compliance begins with meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards. In general, this means designing a user experience that is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. This might include:
- Text alternatives for non-text content (such as alt text for images)
- Keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility
- Clear layouts and consistent navigation
- Captions or transcripts for video and audio content
The first step towards a compliant solution is typically a comprehensive accessibility audit. These can be either manual or automated, and will reveal inaccessible elements within your website. This is followed by a series of remediations at the design and code level, prioritised in terms of their impact on the end user.
The easiest (and cheapest) approach to accessibility is to integrate it into your process from the start. It should inform every design and development decision, not be tacked on at the end.
Why does the EAA matter?
In the simplest sense, the EAA matters as a piece of progressive legislation. It will improve the day-to-day lives of 87 million EU residents, as well as those experiencing situational disabilities.
The EAA also matters to your business. Accessibility compliance will dovetail with broader user experience (UX) improvements, and will make your product and brand available to a wider audience than ever before. Accessibility improvements can even contribute towards a more sustainable and low-carbon digital presence. Likewise, failure to comply with the EAA will risk legal and financial penalties.
So what’s next?
If you operate within the EU (or sell any digital goods within the EU), you already need to be fully compliant with the EAA. It’s that simple. If you’re racing against the clock, don’t worry, our list of accessibility priorities provides a great starting point.
If you’d like to learn more about the specific needs of your business, just reach out to our team, we’d love to discuss your options.