The European Accessibility Act (EAA): What it is & why YOU should care
The European Accessibility Act (EAA), implemented on 28th June 2025, sets out the legal requirements for products and services to be accessible to people with disabilities. [1] It aims to create a single set of rules across Europe, replacing country-specific laws around accessibility.
In this blog post I am discussing more about identifying whether it applies to you as a small business owner and giving practical tips to help you become and/or remain compliant.
I’m in the UK, so do I need to be compliant with this?
In short, it’s easy to think about the EAA as the accessibility version of GDPR. This means that even if you are not based in the EU, you still need to be compliant if you are serving products and services to people within it.
Specifically, if you are facilitating online sales of products and/or services then you fall under the catch-all ‘e-commerce services’.
The definition provided is:
However, there are two conditions where it does not apply:
1. You’re classed as a microenterprise (with less than 10 employees and €2 million annual turnover) and you only provide services, not products
2. You can prove that compliance would cause a ‘disproportionate burden’ [2] for your business (this must be carefully documented)
What happens if I don’t comply?
Penalties vary by country, so if you are in the UK the penalising country would be where the affected client/customer is.
Overall, you can expect:
· Warnings (some countries may do this before acting, but don’t depend on this as an assumption) As an example, Italy give a 90 day notice period to allow companies to meet requirements [3]
· Fines: Germany operates a €100,000 fine for selling non-compliant products and sources, then a €10,000 fine for businesses failing to provide accurate information about the accessibility of their products and services. [3]
· Legal action and/or restriction on your ability to operate in the EU market In addition to fines, France can apply sanctions which include confiscation of property and suspension of licenses. [3]
· Reputational damage
How do I ensure I am compliant?
Firstly, mark these two deadline dates:
· 28th June 2025: All new products and services must meet accessibility standards
· 28th June 2030: Your existing services and websites must be updated to comply [4]
Then, here are practical steps for you to follow:
1. Familiarise yourself with accessibility standards You need to be compliant with EN 301 549 [5] as a minimum. (My special tip is to ask AI to print you out an easy-to-follow checklist!) If you are already familiar with accessibility guidelines, EN 301 549 aligns with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. [5]
2. Audit your digital assets
Knowing the guidelines, check your digital assets such as website, mobile applications, PDF files and any other online services you have e.g. separate sign-up forms.
(I have written a list of practical examples for different areas in the next section to help you).
3. Audit your customer support
Now check your business from a bird’s eye view for any other touchpoints you have with clients/customers where they may not find the experience accessible. This includes live chat support, phone and any help documents.
4. Make the changes
Make a list of changes and implement them to ensure that people can navigate and use your services.
5. Test your changes with free tools before rolling out There are a host of free tools online such as WAVE [6], which can scan your website and flag any accessibility issues.
Practical examples of accessibility issues
Users with Visual impairments might struggle with:
· Colour blindness and differentiating colours on screen, use high contrast between colours such as text against background colours
· Reading text on screen, use a font size of at least 12
· Seeing content on a page, use detailed descriptions that can be read to them by a screen reader
Users with Auditory impairments might struggle with:
· Hearing the audio on a video, use closed captions that show in real time
· Understanding transitions without sound, use visual messages to tell them when an action has completed
Users with Kinesthetic/motor impairments might struggle with:
· Using a physical mouse or trackpad, allow them to navigate around page elements and perform clicks using arrow and enter keys on their keyboard
Users with cognitive impairments might struggle with:
· Reading and processing large blocks of text, ease this by breaking it down into smaller sentences and paragraphs
· Processing information, apply clear visuals to help explain messages
Why is it worth it?
Aside from the obvious (avoidance of penalties), here are a few of the key benefits of ensuring you follow accessibility guidelines in your business:
· With the knowledge that 1 in 4 adults in Europe have a disability, [7] you know you are doing everything you can to expand and maintain your customer base
· In terms of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), accessible websites get 37% more traffic from search engines and keep visitors engaged longer, with bounce rates 41% lower than less accessible sites [8]
· Finally, from a brand perspective, following accessibility guidelines tells the world that your business values inclusivity and social responsibility
I appreciate this is a huge piece of homework but as you can see accessibility is not a ‘nice to have’ but now a legal requirement for most, alongside putting your best brand forward to the world through your consideration and care for making it inclusive.
Summary
I hope you’ve found this useful in learning about the EAA regulations and the world of accessibility. It’s time to put your new practical advice to use and make sure your digital experience is one suitable for everyone.
If you would like to have a chat about how I can help you improve accessibility across your website and/or content, click below to arrange a FREE 30 minute discovery call with me.