The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) has applied since 28 June 2025. It requires many products and services sold to consumers in the EU, including e-commerce websites and apps, to be accessible. For websites, the usual way to show you meet it is EN 301 549, which follows WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
General information, not legal advice. Checked against the sources listed below on 4 November 2026. Laws and standards change, so check the current position for your country.
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to my business?
It applies to businesses that provide certain products and services to consumers in the EU, wherever the business is based. For most website owners the part that matters is e-commerce services: services provided at a distance, through websites and mobile apps, at a consumer’s individual request, with a view to concluding a consumer contract.
Other covered services include consumer banking, e-books, passenger transport websites and apps, electronic communications and access to audiovisual media services.
Microenterprises that provide services are exempt. A microenterprise has fewer than 10 people and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than €2 million. If you sell physical products, or you are not sure whether you count as a microenterprise, check your national law.
If you are based in the UK, the Act applies to you only for the services you provide to consumers in the EU. It does not replace UK law, which has its own rules in the Equality Act 2010.
What standard does my website have to meet?
The Directive sets accessibility requirements in general terms. Harmonised standards give a way to show you meet them: if you follow one, your service is presumed to meet the matching requirements. For web content the standard is EN 301 549.
EN 301 549 version 3.2.1 points to WCAG 2.1 at levels A and AA for web content. Version 4.1.1, published in September 2026, moves to WCAG 2.2. A law firm briefing reports that it has not yet been cited in the EU’s Official Journal, which is the step that gives it legal effect. Check the Official Journal for the current position.
| Version | WCAG version for web content | Status (November 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| EN 301 549 v3.2.1 | WCAG 2.1, levels A and AA | The version in force |
| EN 301 549 v4.1.1 | WCAG 2.2, levels A and AA | Published September 2026; reported as not yet cited in the Official Journal |
WCAG 2.2 adds new criteria to 2.1 and retires one obsolete one, so checking a site against WCAG 2.2 AA is a safe way to cover 2.1 AA as well. That is the standard AccessBadger scans against.
What do I have to publish?
Service providers must give consumers information about how the service meets the accessibility requirements, for example in their terms and conditions. The Directive describes what that information should cover.
Many countries expect this information to take the form of an accessibility statement, and the exact content and where it must appear differ. Germany’s law (the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, or BFSG) and others set their own details, so check the law that applies to you. AccessBadger’s accessibility statement generator has country-specific templates for Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.
What are the penalties for not complying?
The Directive leaves penalties to each EU member state, which must make them effective, proportionate and dissuasive. The amounts, and the authority that enforces them, differ by country. The Directive also expects member states to give people a way to complain about services that do not comply.
What if meeting a requirement would be too hard?
Providers can rely on exceptions for a fundamental alteration of the service or a disproportionate burden, but they must assess the case, document it and tell the authority. These are narrow exceptions, not a way to skip the rules.
How do I check whether my website meets the standard?
No single tool can do this on its own. A practical routine has five parts:
- Run an automated scan to catch the problems machines can find, such as missing labels, low contrast and broken heading order. Try the free EAA accessibility scan.
- Test by hand with a keyboard and a screen reader, especially your key journeys: browsing, search, basket, checkout and account pages.
- Fix the issues in your website’s code, starting with the ones that stop people completing a task.
- Give visitors a way to report barriers, such as the accessibility feedback widget, and publish your accessibility information.
- Keep checking. Websites change every week, so accessibility monitoring catches regressions before your customers do.