The EAA is here. Is your website ready?
Since 28 June 2025, many products and services sold to consumers in the European Union must be accessible to people with disabilities. Here's what the European Accessibility Act means for your website and your clients, and how to get ready.
What is the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) sets common accessibility requirements for key products and services across all EU member states. Each country has turned it into national law, such as the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz in Germany and Legislative Decree 82/2022 in Italy.
Its goal is simple: people with disabilities and older people should be able to shop, bank, travel and communicate online as easily as everyone else. That’s around one adult in four in the EU, and a growing share of your customers.
Key dates
- 28 June 2025 – the requirements apply to new products and services placed on the EU market.
- 28 June 2030 – end of the transition period for services provided with products already in use before 2025.
- Up to 2045 – self-service terminals such as ATMs and ticket machines installed before 2025 can stay in use until the end of their economic life, for a maximum of 20 years.
Services that must now be accessible
If your business, or your client's, offers one of these services to consumers in the EU, its website and app fall under the EAA.
E-commerce
Online shops and marketplaces selling products or services to consumers, from product pages to checkout.
Banking and finance
Consumer banking services: accounts, payments, credit and investment services, online and in apps.
Passenger transport
Air, bus, rail and waterborne transport: websites, apps, e-tickets and real-time travel information.
Telecom and messaging
Electronic communication services, including access to emergency communications.
E-books
E-books and the software used to read them.
Audiovisual media
Access to audiovisual media services, such as streaming platforms and their programme guides.
Products such as computers, smartphones, e-readers, ATMs, ticketing and check-in machines are covered too.
Microenterprises
Businesses with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of up to €2 million are exempt from the requirements for services. Even so, an accessible site is a competitive advantage, and many of their B2B clients will ask for it.
The technical standard
The EAA is applied through the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which for websites refers to WCAG 2.1 at level AA: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust content.
Accessibility statement
Service providers must explain how their service meets the accessibility requirements. A clear accessibility statement, easy to find on your site, is the natural place to do it.
Each country enforces it, and the stakes are real
National market-surveillance authorities check compliance and can order corrections or remove non-compliant services. Consumer associations and competitors may also take action.
- Germany: fines of up to €100,000 under the BFSG, plus orders to fix or withdraw non-compliant services.
- Italy: on top of the EAA, the Stanca Law requires accessible websites and apps from companies with an average turnover above €500 million, with fines of up to 5% of turnover.
- Public sector: public bodies across the EU already follow the Web Accessibility Directive with the same WCAG-based standard.
Accessible sites simply work better
More customers
About one adult in four in the EU lives with some form of disability, and the population is ageing. Every barrier you remove is a customer you keep.
Better SEO
Clear headings, alt texts and descriptive links help search engines understand your pages as much as they help people.
More business for agencies
Accessibility is now a question every client asks. With Accessilo on your maintenance plans, you have a ready answer.
From install to accessible, in three steps
Accessilo does the work a plugin can do automatically and guides you through the rest, so you always know what to do next.
Help every visitor from day one
Activate Accessilo and your visitors can instantly adapt text, colours and navigation to their needs, while skip link, focus outline and new-tab warnings fix common barriers across the whole site.
Scan, fix and track progress
The WCAG scanner checks up to 100 pages at once and tells you exactly what to improve in your content and theme, with tips for each issue. Watch your score go up as you fix them.
Show your commitment
Link your accessibility statement right from the menu, so visitors and authorities can see how you take accessibility seriously and how to reach you.
Get your website EAA-ready, starting today
Help every visitor from day one, find what to improve with the WCAG scanner and show your commitment with an accessibility statement.
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This page provides general information about the European Accessibility Act and related national rules. It is not legal advice: for your specific situation, please consult a legal professional.
