The European Accessibility Act: Everything You Need to Know

We don’t want you to panic, but: 

Time is running out.  

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is knocking at your door.  

If your company sells online, operates customer platforms, offers digital services, or provides certain physical products within the EU, you must act now to meet the new standards. If you don’t, they’ll face serious consequences. Fines, product withdrawals, legal actions, and severe reputational damage are just the beginning. 

It’s not all bleak, however. 

This is also an opportunity to serve a broader market and position your brand as a leader in inclusivity. 

In this article, we’ll explain exactly what the European Accessibility Act is, who it affects, what guidelines you must follow, and what penalties you could face if you don’t comply.  

Let’s dive in, before the penalties hit: 

What Is the European Accessibility Act? 

The EAA is a landmark piece of legislation aimed at improving the accessibility of a wide range of products and services across EU member states. Proposed in 2015 and formally adopted in 2019, it stems from the union’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is part of the broader European Disability Strategy 2021–2030. 

The core purpose is simple: 

Make it easier for those with disabilities to access key products and services.  

Before the act, different countries had different standards, creating confusion for businesses and inconsistent experiences for consumers. By creating a common framework, the EAA promotes a more inclusive economy and simplifies cross-border trade within the EU. 

The audits start on the 28th of June 2025.  

Who Is Affected by the European Accessibility Act? 

The EAA has a wide scope. It applies to a broad range of businesses, both large and small. The common ground is that they all design, manufacture, distribute, or operate key products and services within the EU. 

Some of the sectors covered include: 

• Ecommerce and online retailers – the act includes websites, apps, and digital marketplaces. 

• Banking services – the new rules cover online banking platforms and ATMs. 

• Telecommunications providers – mobile apps, websites, and customer service systems must meet accessibility standards. 

• Media services – e-books, e-readers, and audiovisual media should be compliant. 

• Transport services – ticketing and check-in machines, websites, and mobile apps for travel operators must be accessible. 

Public sector bodies are already subject to accessibility obligations under the EU Web Accessibility Directive, but the act extends these requirements to the private sector. 

Important: Microenterprises are exempt from certain EAA obligations, particularly when it comes to services (though not necessarily products).  

Those are businesses with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet below €2 million. However, even such organizations are encouraged to consider accessibility as a best practice to remain competitive and socially responsible. 

Remember: 

If you’re doing business in the EU and your product or service falls within the EAA’s scope, you must comply. That’s regardless of whether your company is based inside or outside the European Union. 

How do you do that? 

By following the guidelines. 

What Are the EAA Guidelines? 

To ensure products and services are accessible, the EAA draws heavily on established technical standards, particularly the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). 

What Is WCAG? 

The WCAG are internationally recognized standards for web accessibility. The latest version, WCAG 2.2, outlines success criteria grouped under four principles, summarized by the acronym POUR: 

• Perceivable – information and user interface components must be presented in ways that people can perceive. Examples include providing text alternatives for non-text content (like images) and creating content that can be presented in different ways (like simplified layout) without losing meaning. 

• Operable – users must be able to interact with and navigate the interface. This includes making all functionality available from a keyboard and providing people enough time to read and use content. 

• Understandable – information and operation of the user interface must be understandable. For instance, text should be readable and predictable, and input assistance should be provided where possible. 

• Robust – content must be robust enough to be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. 

The EAA specifically recommends conformance to WCAG Level AA.  

But what does that mean? 

Well, it’s one of the compliance levels introduced by the guidelines. There are three of them, including: 

• Level A – the minimum standard. It addresses the most basic accessibility needs to ensure that content is usable by people with disabilities. For example, providing alternative text for images and ensuring that all functionality is available via keyboard navigation (without requiring a mouse). 

• Level AA – the legal standard for most regulations, including the EAA. It focuses on eliminating the biggest and most common barriers to accessibility. The requirements include ensuring sufficient color contrast between text and backgrounds, making sure navigation is consistent across pages, and properly labeling forms so that screen readers can interpret them. Most businesses aiming for legal compliance should target Level AA. 

• Level AAA – the highest and most comprehensive level of accessibility. It aims to make content usable by the widest range of people, including those with severe or multiple disabilities. For example, offering sign language interpretation for videos, simplifying complex language, and removing or extending time limits on interactions. Achieving Level AAA is rarely mandated by law because it can be difficult to apply consistently across all types of content. 

To simplify:

Level A is the minimum, AA is the standard required by the EAA, and AAA is the ideal, but is not mandatory. 

Key Accessibility Requirements Under the EAA 

For businesses, complying with the EAA means ensuring: 

• Websites, mobile apps, and e-commerce platforms are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. 

• Digital products like e-readers and ticket machines are accessible to users with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities. 

• Information on pricing, terms and conditions, and product usage is available in accessible formats. 

• Communication with customer service (whether through websites, apps, chatbots, or call centers) is accessible to all users. 

• Accessible payment methods are available for online and offline transactions. 

For physical products like ATMs and ticketing machines, manufacturers must ensure that hardware is accessible. For example, they should include tactile buttons and voice output. 

Accessibility must be embedded from the design phase (also known as “accessibility by design”) and maintained throughout the product or service lifecycle. 

What Are the Penalties for Non-Compliance? 

Businesses that fail to comply with the EAA can face significant consequences, depending on the country where the breach occurs. 

Each EU member state is responsible for enforcing the act and will impose its own penalties, but several common consequences include: 

Financial Fines 

Though the exact amount varies by country, fines can range from thousands to hundreds of thousands of euros, depending on the severity and nature of the violation. 

For example: 

• Germany – under the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG), Germany’s national implementation of the EAA, businesses that fail to comply can face fines of up to €100,000 per violation. Authorities are also prepared to order the removal of non-compliant products and services from the market. Companies that show a pattern of non-compliance or deliberately ignore accessibility requirements could face even higher penalties through administrative sanctions. 

• France – companies can face penalties of up to €25,000 per infraction, with additional fines possible if no corrective action is taken within a given deadline. Furthermore, French authorities are planning regular audits of businesses, especially larger online service providers and retailers. 

• Spain – under its national framework aligned with the EAA, companies that fail to comply can face fines ranging from €1,000 to €30,000 for less serious violations and up to €300,000 for the most serious breaches. Repeat offenders or those causing significant harm to individuals with disabilities could also face additional sanctions, including public naming and reputational penalties. 

It’s important to note that EAA enforcement strategies are tiered. Regulators typically give businesses a chance to correct issues before applying maximum penalties. 

But: 

In some countries – for example, Spain – companies can face daily fines starting from €1,000 until the issues are corrected. These are designed to encourage swift action toward compliance. The daily penalty typically increases if the company delays in addressing non-compliance after being notified. 

Product Withdrawal 

Under the European Accessibility Act, market surveillance authorities have the power to order the withdrawal, recall, or prohibition of non-compliant products and services. 

It’s a standard enforcement mechanism in the EU for consumer protection laws, similar to safety recalls for dangerous products. 

If a product or service, such as an online store, banking app, or public ticketing machine, does not meet the required accessibility standards, it will be: 

• Removed from sale immediately. 

• Recalled, even if already sold to consumers, at the company’s own expense. 

• Taken offline until the necessary accessibility upgrades are made. 

This all leads to sudden loss of revenue, customer dissatisfaction, high costs to redesign or redevelop, logistics nightmares, and often, regulatory blacklisting from future projects or partnerships. 

Legal Action and Litigation 

Individuals who experience discrimination because of inaccessible products or services can bring legal claims against companies under national equality and anti-discrimination laws. 

Typical legal risks include: 

• Civil lawsuits – customers, advocacy groups, or disability rights organizations may sue for damages. 

• Class actions or collective claims – in some jurisdictions, groups of affected individuals can join together to sue businesses in one large action, increasing financial exposure. 

• Administrative litigation – regulatory bodies themselves can initiate legal proceedings to enforce corrective actions, impose sanctions, or escalate to court-ordered shutdowns. 

• Damages in lawsuits – can cover not only financial loss (like a customer unable to complete a transaction) but also emotional distress, discrimination claims, and loss of dignity. 

Unlike GDPR violations, where you mainly worry about data protection agencies, accessibility lawsuits can come from private individuals at any time. This makes the litigation risk harder to predict or control. 

All of this can also lead to reputational damage. Companies seen as discriminating against persons with disabilities may face boycotts, negative media coverage, and loss of customer loyalty. 

Preparing for EAA Compliance 

Given the approaching deadline, businesses should not delay. Here’s a checklist for preparing: 

• Audit existing products and services – conduct a thorough accessibility audit of websites, mobile apps, self-service terminals, and other offerings. 

• Follow WCAG 2.2 standards – use Level AA as a benchmark for digital accessibility. 

• Design accessible products from the start – apply “accessibility by design” principles in every development process, from concept to release. 

• Train your teams – developers, designers, marketers, and customer service agents should understand their role in accessibility. 

• Work with accessibility experts – engage consultants or firms specializing in accessibility to help identify gaps and recommend improvements. 

• Test with real users – include people with disabilities in usability testing to gather genuine feedback and improve accessibility features. 

• Document your efforts – maintain clear records of the steps you are taking to comply. This can help during inspections or if you face a legal challenge. 

• Monitor ongoing compliance – regularly review and update your products and services to stay compliant. 

Need help? 

Call your allies! 

Unlike free tools, our expert-led audits combine manual and automated testing to deliver in-depth, actionable insights.  

We don’t just flag issues. We guide you toward practical solutions. 

By partnering up with us, you’ll: 

• Proactively meet EAA requirements and avoid penalties 

• Benefit from a detailed analysis covering the full scope of accessibility compliance 

• Get tailored solutions based on your needs 

Let’s get you started! 

Wrap Up 

The European Accessibility Act makes one thing clear: 

Accessibility is now a basic business requirement, not a bonus feature. 

Failing to act means facing steep fines, forced product withdrawals, costly lawsuits, and reputational damage that can take years to fix. 

But businesses that step up now, invest in accessible design, and build inclusive services will avoid penalties. Not only that, but they will also open the door to millions of new customers, build stronger brand loyalty, and lead the market into the future. 

The countdown to 28 June 2025 is ticking. 

Contact us now and we’ll make sure your company is compliant. 

FAQ 

What is the European Accessibility Act? 

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is aimed at making products and services more accessible to people with disabilities. It sets common requirements across all EU member states. It covers areas like ecommerce, banking services, e-books, transport, and digital communication. Businesses must comply by June 28, 2025, or face significant penalties. 

What is the difference between EAA and ADA? 

The EAA is a European Union regulation, while the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a United States law. Both aim to prevent discrimination based on disability, but they apply to different regions and have different enforcement systems. The EAA focuses heavily on products and services in the market, while the ADA focuses more broadly on employment, public spaces, and civil rights.  

How to prepare for EAA? 

Start by auditing your products, websites, and services against WCAG Level AA accessibility standards. Fix any issues like poor color contrast, missing alternative text, or difficult navigation. Train your teams on accessibility best practices and update your development processes. Document your compliance efforts in case of audits or inspections.