European Accessibility Act
European Accessibility Act (EAA) Accessibility Services
Short answer: The European Accessibility Act establishes accessibility requirements for certain products and services offered in the European Union. For covered digital experiences, organizations may need to evaluate websites, applications, customer journeys, and related digital services; address accessibility barriers; and maintain appropriate accessibility information. CompliCorp helps organizations evaluate and improve the accessibility of digital products and prepare evidence that supports EAA accessibility readiness.
Key Takeaways
- The EAA has applied since June 28, 2025.
- The Act covers specified products and services, not every organization or digital property universally.
- WCAG and EN 301 549 are important technical references, but EAA readiness involves more than WCAG conformance alone.
- Manual testing and assistive-technology evaluation can help identify accessibility barriers automated tools cannot reliably assess.
- CompliCorp provides accessibility evaluation and readiness support, not legal advice.
What is the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act, or EAA, is Directive (EU) 2019/882. It establishes accessibility requirements for specified products and services in the EU. Its main requirements have applied since June 28, 2025, with transitional provisions for certain situations.
Relevant categories include consumer e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books and dedicated software, electronic communications, access to audiovisual media services, and specified parts of passenger transport services. Covered products include consumer computers and operating systems, payment terminals, certain self-service terminals, e-readers, and specified communications and audiovisual equipment.
The purpose is to make covered products and services usable by people with disabilities and reduce differences between national accessibility requirements. Coverage depends on what is offered and how the rules apply; access to a website from Europe does not automatically place every business within the Act.
Sources: EUR-Lex summary of covered products and services and the European Commission’s EAA overview.
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to my organization?
Start with the product or service and the market it serves. An EU-facing consumer service and an internal business tool can present different questions. Review the organization’s role as a manufacturer, importer, distributor, or service provider, together with national implementation, transition rules, and any relevant exceptions.
Applicability under the European Accessibility Act depends on the product or service, organization, market, national implementation, and any applicable exceptions. CompliCorp provides digital-accessibility evaluation and readiness support and does not provide legal advice.
Microenterprise provisions require particular care. The Directive defines a microenterprise using both employee and financial thresholds and distinguishes service providers from businesses dealing in products. The service-provider exemption is not a general exemption for every small business or every product. Confirm the applicable facts and national rules before relying on it.
Read Directive (EU) 2019/882, especially Articles 2, 3(23), 4(5), 14, and 32, and the Council of the EU’s explanation of scope and exceptions.
What does the EAA mean for websites and digital products?
For a covered digital service, accessibility needs to hold across the customer journey. A visitor may need to understand an offer, create an account, identify themselves, complete a payment, read digital information, and reach support. Testing only the homepage leaves these tasks unanswered.
- Websites and web applications: navigation, search, product information, forms, and interactive controls.
- Mobile experiences: responsive layouts and mobile application tasks included in the service.
- E-commerce and account journeys: registration, authentication, checkout, validation, and recovery from errors.
- Digital information and support: instructions, relevant documents, help interfaces, and accessibility information.
- Software interfaces where applicable: product features and user roles that form part of the agreed evaluation.
An EAA accessibility audit should identify which of these experiences are in scope, what technical criteria will be applied, and what evidence the organization needs. Our website accessibility audits provide manual findings tied to actual tasks and interface states.
For the underlying service requirements, see Annex I of the EAA. The examples above describe evaluation planning, not a legal determination of coverage.
EAA vs. WCAG vs. EN 301 549
The EAA sets legal requirements for covered products and services. WCAG and EN 301 549 provide technical accessibility requirements that can support evaluation. They have related but distinct roles.
| Framework | What it is | Role in accessibility |
|---|---|---|
| EAA | European legislation establishing accessibility requirements for covered products and services. | Defines the covered categories and applicable obligations through national implementation. |
| WCAG | W3C’s technical accessibility guidelines for web content. | Provides testable success criteria for web accessibility; it does not cover every EAA obligation. |
| EN 301 549 | A European ICT accessibility standard covering products and services. | Addresses web content and other ICT requirements. The edition, applicable clauses, and formal legal citation matter. |
The September 2026 update
EN 301 549 v4.1.1 was published in September 2026 and incorporates WCAG 2.2. ETSI lists the edition as published, and AccessibleEU describes its updated coverage of websites, software, and digital documents.
Publication does not by itself make a standard the legally cited EAA reference. AccessibleEU’s September 7, 2026 update reported that v4.1.1 was not yet the legal reference and distinguished publication from formal citation in the Official Journal of the European Union. Under Article 15 of the EAA, a cited harmonised standard supports a presumption of conformity only for the requirements it covers.
Before setting the assessment target, confirm the current citation status, relevant national implementation, applicable clauses, and any customer requirements. WCAG 2.2 testing can be useful technical evidence; it is not an automatic EAA compliance determination.
Sources: ETSI’s published accessibility standards, AccessibleEU’s September 2026 update, W3C’s WCAG overview, and EAA Article 15. Technical reference review: .
How CompliCorp supports EAA accessibility readiness
CompliCorp turns an agreed accessibility scope into test evidence and practical next steps. We evaluate representative workflows, shared components, and interface states using manual WCAG review, keyboard testing, appropriate assistive technologies, and supporting automated checks.
Testing follows the task: opening a menu, signing in, entering information, correcting an error, or completing a transaction. Findings explain the observed barrier, affected users, relevant criteria, and steps to reproduce it. Your team can use the report to assign and track corrections.
Our accessibility remediation and retesting support helps developers review proposed fixes and verify the agreed changes. We also help organize accessibility evidence and describe known limitations accurately. The engagement supports readiness; it does not provide a legal opinion, certification, or guarantee of European Accessibility Act compliance.
W3C’s evaluation guidance explains why knowledgeable human review is needed alongside tools.
What you receive
Your proposal identifies what will be evaluated, what will be delivered, and which follow-up activities are included.
- A defined evaluation scope, target requirements, product version, and testing methods
- Manual accessibility testing and assistive-technology evaluation where appropriate
- Developer-ready findings with reproduction steps, user impact, and relevant criteria
- Prioritized remediation guidance and a delivery/review meeting
- Retesting options with documented results
- Support aligning accessibility evidence with customer and procurement expectations
If a customer also needs an ACR, questionnaire response, or remediation roadmap, our accessibility procurement readiness program can coordinate those deliverables with the evaluation. Documentation should state the product version, testing coverage, methods, and limitations.
EAA readiness for software and SaaS
Software companies selling into European markets may receive accessibility requirements from customers that provide covered services. A buyer may need evidence about a checkout component, account platform, or other software used in its customer experience, even when the supplier’s own legal role requires separate analysis.
Being a SaaS company does not automatically determine EAA coverage. Identify the intended use, users, product configuration, and buyer’s request before testing. Our accessibility services for SaaS and software companies address authenticated workflows, product releases, and documentation that stays connected to the evaluated version.
EAA accessibility for financial services and digital commerce
Consumer banking and e-commerce are among the EAA’s covered service categories. For an in-scope experience, accessibility work may involve account opening, identity and security steps, payments, disclosures, product selection, and checkout. The appropriate coverage depends on the service and the requirements that apply.
Our financial services accessibility evaluations focus on the tasks customers need to complete. For digital commerce, we define representative purchase and support journeys and document where barriers interrupt those tasks.
See the EU summary of service categories and accessibility requirements.
EAA questions
European Accessibility Act FAQs
Scope, technical standards, and how to plan an evaluation.
Sources for these answers: the EAA Directive, EU scope and exceptions, the EN 301 549 update, and W3C evaluation guidance.
When did the European Accessibility Act take effect?
The EAA’s accessibility requirements have generally applied since June 28, 2025. The Directive entered into force earlier, in 2019; June 2025 is the main application date. Transitional provisions and specific exceptions can affect individual products, services, and contracts.
Does the EAA apply to websites?
Yes, websites used to provide covered services can fall within the EAA’s accessibility requirements. Examples include consumer e-commerce and banking services. Coverage follows the service, product, and applicable rules; it is not a universal requirement imposed on every website simply because it can be visited from the EU.
Does WCAG 2.2 automatically equal EAA compliance?
No. WCAG 2.2 provides technical requirements for accessibility, while the EAA addresses specified products and services and includes obligations beyond web content. A WCAG evaluation can support readiness, but it does not by itself establish that every applicable EAA requirement has been met.
What is EN 301 549?
EN 301 549 is a European standard covering accessibility requirements for ICT products and services. Version 4.1.1, published in September 2026, incorporates WCAG 2.2. Publication of a technical standard is separate from its formal citation in EU law; confirm the edition and provisions relevant to the assessment.
Can the EAA apply to companies headquartered outside the EU?
Yes. A company’s headquarters outside the EU do not by themselves place its products or services outside the EAA. What it offers in the EU market, its role, the customers served, and the applicable national rules matter. Confirm applicability before defining the accessibility evaluation.
Are small businesses exempt from the EAA?
Not all small businesses are exempt. The Directive exempts qualifying microenterprises providing services from specified requirements and related obligations. Product businesses have different provisions. Business size alone is not enough: review the Directive’s definition, the organization’s role, and national implementation before relying on an exemption.
Can an accessibility overlay make a website EAA compliant?
Installing an overlay does not establish EAA compliance. The underlying service and its user journeys still need evaluation against the applicable requirements. W3C explains that tools alone cannot determine accessibility conformance; manual review and appropriate assistive-technology testing are needed to assess issues a tool cannot resolve or reliably detect.
How can an organization evaluate EAA accessibility readiness?
Start by identifying the covered product or service and the requirements that apply, then define a technical evaluation scope. Test representative tasks, document barriers, assign remediation, and retest changes. Keep current evidence and accessibility information for the evaluated version. CompliCorp supports that technical work; legal applicability should be confirmed with qualified counsel.
Work with CompliCorp
Plan your EAA accessibility evaluation.
Share your product or service, target markets, known requirements, and timeline. We’ll define the technical testing and evidence your team needs.