Insights / Accessibility
The European Accessibility Act and your website: what applies and what to fix first
Since June 2025, many businesses that sell to EU customers must have an accessible website, wherever they are based. Here is who it covers and where to start.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) has applied in all 27 EU countries since 28 June 2025. It requires many products and services sold to consumers in the EU to be usable by people with disabilities, and for most businesses that means the website or app where customers buy, book or pay. It is not limited to European companies: a store in Texas or Lagos that sells to customers in Germany is in scope too.
Who it covers
The Act lists specific services. For most small and mid-sized businesses the one that matters is e-commerce: any website or app that sells products or services to consumers. It also covers banking, e-books, passenger transport booking and electronic communications. Very small service businesses, with fewer than 10 staff and annual turnover or balance sheet under €2 million, are exempt from the service rules. Business-to-business sales are generally outside it.
Enforcement is handled country by country, so penalties and how actively regulators check differ across the EU. Several have started asking businesses to show what they have done.
The standard you need to meet
The EAA relies on the European standard EN 301 549, which for websites points to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That is the same standard most US settlements under the Americans with Disabilities Act refer to, so the work covers both markets.
What to fix first
Most sites fail on the same handful of things. Start with these, in this order:
- Checkout and forms. Every field needs a visible label, errors must say what is wrong in words, and the whole form must work with a keyboard. If someone cannot pay, nothing else matters.
- Keyboard access. Press Tab through your site. You should always be able to see where you are, reach every menu and button, and close every pop-up.
- Colour contrast. Light grey text on white and white text on pale buttons are the most common failures. Body text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1.
- Images and icons. Images that carry meaning need a short text description. Icon-only buttons, like a cart or a search magnifier, need a label a screen reader can announce.
- Headings and structure. One main heading per page, then headings in order. Screen reader users jump between them to find their way.
- Video and audio. Captions for videos, and no media that plays sound on its own.
What not to rely on
Accessibility overlay widgets promise compliance with one line of code. They do not fix the underlying page, disabled users often find them harder to use, and businesses using them have still received complaints. Fix the site itself.
Show your work
Publish an accessibility statement that says which standard you follow, what you know is not yet fixed and how people can report a problem. Keep a dated record of audits and fixes. If a regulator or a customer asks, that record is what shows you took it seriously.
If you want a second pair of eyes, we audit sites against WCAG 2.1 AA, fix what fails on WordPress, Shopify, Wix and Squarespace, and check new pages every month. See the accessibility service. This article is general information, not legal advice.