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The European Accessibility Act is here. Does it apply to you?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into force in June 2025. It is one of the biggest shifts in digital accessibility in years, and a lot of businesses are still unsure whether it applies to them. Here is a plain guide.
What the EAA does
It requires a wide range of digital products and services sold in the European Union to be accessible to people with disabilities. Unlike guidance you can choose to follow, this is law, with enforcement and penalties behind it.
Who is in scope
You may be covered if you sell into the EU and offer things like:
- E-commerce websites and apps
- Banking and payment services
- E-books and reading software
- Ticketing and transport services
- Consumer computing hardware and operating systems
Being based outside the EU does not automatically exempt you. What matters is whether you offer these products or services to people in the EU. There are limited exceptions, including for some microenterprises providing services.
What it requires in practice
In practice, meeting the EAA means meeting recognized accessibility standards, which for digital products lines up closely with WCAG and the European standard EN 301 549. If you build to WCAG 2.2 AA, you are most of the way there.
How to tell if you are ready
- Decide whether you are in scope. If you sell any of the products or services above into the EU, assume you probably are until you confirm otherwise.
- Get an honest audit of your website, app, and documents.
- Fix the gaps, starting with anything that blocks people entirely.
- Keep a record. Being able to show your conformance matters.
If you are not sure whether you are in scope, or where your gaps are, we can help you find out.