European Accessibility Act: Everything you need to know

The European Accessibility Act was issued in 2019, but it is being more actively discussed as the deadline for implementing accessibility improvements approaches. As of 28 June 2025, companies must ensure that the newly marketed products and services covered by the Act are accessible.

The directive’s implementation and penalties are specific to each EU member state. 

What does that mean for your company? Let’s figure out. 

What is Web Accessibility? 

The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the world population, experience significant disability. Therefore, products and services should be developed with the disabled in mind. However, according to WebAIM's 2022 report, only 3% of the top 1,000,000 home pages on the internet are accessible to people with disabilities. This means that 97% of those pages have accessibility errors, with an average of 50.8 errors per page. Common errors include low-contrast text, missing alternative text for images, empty links, missing form input labels, and empty buttons.

Web accessibility ensures that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed to be usable by people with disabilities. This includes enabling them to:

• perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web
• contribute to the Web

It addresses a broad range of disabilities, such as auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual impairments. Additionally, web accessibility benefits:

• users of mobile phones, smartwatches, smart TVs, and other devices with small screens or different input methods
• older individuals with age-related impairments
• individuals with temporary disabilities like a broken arm or lost glasses
• those with situational limitations such as bright sunlight or noisy environments
• people with slow Internet connections or limited bandwidth

In essence, web accessibility enhances usability for everyone, ensuring equal access to information and services online.

Key points of European Accessibility Act (EAA) & Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a directive adopted by the European Union aimed at improving the accessibility of a wide range of products and services for people with disabilities. The EAA was officially adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on June 7, 2019. The directive mandates that EU Member States transpose its provisions into national law by June 28, 2022, with the requirements becoming applicable from June 28, 2025.

The EAA was developed and signed to address the barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing products and services, promoting equal opportunities and inclusivity across the EU. The act is part of the broader EU commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which obligates member states to take appropriate measures to ensure accessibility.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), on the other hand, provide technical guidelines and success criteria for web content accessibility. It was developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and is widely recognized internationally as the benchmark for web accessibility standards.

WCAG 2.1—the version that most Web Accessibility mandates currently refer to—includes 78 criteria grouped into three conformance levels.

• Level A: These are the 30 most basic criteria—the minimum you must do for accessibility.
• Level AA: This level adds 20 criteria and represents the minimum you should do to achieve a broadly acceptable baseline of accessibility.
• Level AAA: At this level, you are meeting 28 additional criteria beyond Level AA. These are things you may want to do if you have advanced site experience or are meeting a specific internal or external mandate.

The EAA sets legal standards that encompass digital accessibility, while WCAG provides specific technical guidelines and benchmarks to help achieve these standards, especially concerning web content. Together, they contribute to creating a more inclusive digital environment within the EU and globally.

Why the European Accessibility Act is important

1. Promoting Inclusivity: The EAA ensures that people with disabilities have equal access to products and services, enhancing their ability to participate fully in society.
2. Legal Compliance: Companies operating in the EU must comply with the EAA to avoid legal penalties and potential lawsuits.
3. Market Expansion: By making products and services accessible, companies can tap into a larger market segment, including the estimated 80 million people with disabilities in the EU.
4. Enhancing User Experience: Accessibility improvements benefit all users, not just those with disabilities, by creating more user-friendly interfaces and interactions.

Disabilities Relevant to the European Accessibility Act

The EAA addresses a variety of disabilities to ensure that people with diverse needs can access products and services. These include:

1. Visual Impairments: This includes blindness, low vision, and color blindness. Websites and apps need to provide text alternatives for non-text content, offer screen reader compatibility, and ensure high contrast and resizable text.
2. Hearing Impairments: This covers deafness and hard of hearing. Key adjustments include providing captions and transcripts for multimedia content, and ensuring that audio information is also available in text form.
3. Motor Impairments: These disabilities affect a person's ability to use a mouse or keyboard. Websites and apps should be fully navigable via keyboard and should accommodate assistive technologies like voice recognition software.
4. Cognitive and Learning Disabilities: This includes dyslexia, autism, and other cognitive challenges. Content should be presented clearly and simply, with easy-to-understand language and intuitive navigation.
5. Speech Disabilities: People with speech impairments may need alternative methods of communication. Providing multiple ways to contact and interact with services is essential.

Typical Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Failures 

According to WebAIM's 2024 Million report, 95.9% of home pages had detected WCAG 2 failures. 

All detected errors fall into six categories, and these most common errors have remained consistent for the past 4 years since the Act was issued.

How Companies Need to Adjust Their Websites and Apps

1. Adopt Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): Ensure digital content meets WCAG 2.1 standards, which cover a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible. Key principles include:
   • Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This includes text alternatives for non-text content, and providing captions for multimedia.
   • Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable. This means ensuring that all functionality is available from a keyboard and providing users enough time to read and use content.
   • Understandable: Information and the operation of user interfaces must be understandable. This involves making text readable and predictable, and helping users avoid and correct mistakes.
   • Robust: Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
2. Conduct Accessibility Audits: Regularly review and test websites and apps to identify and fix accessibility issues. This involves both automated testing tools and manual testing with assistive technologies.
3. Train Staff: Ensure that designers, developers, and content creators are trained in accessibility best practices and understand the requirements of the EAA.
4. Provide Alternative Communication Channels: Offer multiple ways for users to access information and services, such as providing contact options for those who cannot use the primary digital interface.
5. Document Accessibility Efforts: Maintain thorough documentation of accessibility efforts and compliance measures to demonstrate adherence to the EAA and to facilitate continuous improvement.

By proactively addressing these areas, companies can ensure compliance with the European Accessibility Act, enhance user experience, and promote a more inclusive society.

Enhancing Web Accessibility: Essential Tools and Resources

Ensuring web accessibility is vital for making websites usable by everyone, including individuals with disabilities. Numerous tools and resources can assist in this effort, significantly enhancing the accessibility of your site. Here are some key tools and resources:

Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools:

• WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool: This tool provides visual feedback on the accessibility of your web content by adding icons and indicators directly to your page.
• axe Accessibility Checker: A browser extension and API designed to identify accessibility issues on your web pages.
• WebAIM Color Contrast Checker: Verifies that text and background color combinations comply with accessibility guidelines.
• JAWS (Job Access With Speech): Screen reader software that aids visually impaired users in navigating web content.
• Lighthouse: Integrated into Chrome's Developer Tools, this tool audits web pages for accessibility, performance, SEO, and other factors.

Essential Resources:

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): Developed by the W3C, these guidelines are the international standard for web accessibility.
• WebAIM: Offers a variety of accessibility services, tools, and training to help you improve your website's accessibility.

Recommended Webinar:

At Storyblok, we are committed to helping our community to improve accessibility. Hence, we launched a dedicated webinar: Web Accessibility – do it right, don't get sued! by Josefine Schaefer, Accessibility Engineer at Storyblok. The webinar covers:

• Understanding new EU regulations on web accessibility set for 2025
• The importance of web accessibility in expanding customer bases and fostering inclusivity
• Common pitfalls in web accessibility and how to avoid them
• Practical strategies for creating superior user experiences for everyone