Since 28 June 2025, Directive (EU) 2019/882, known as the European Accessibility Act (EAA), has applied across the European Union. This is a major change: until now, digital accessibility obligations fell mainly on the public sector. Many private companies are now covered too.
Which services are in scope?
The EAA targets products and services considered essential. For digital, the main ones are:
- e-commerce;
- consumer banking services;
- electronic communications services;
- the digital elements of passenger transport services: websites, apps, e-tickets, real-time information;
- e-books and their reading software;
- access to audiovisual media services.
Who is exempt?
Microenterprises providing services — fewer than 10 people and annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million — are exempt for those services. A company may also invoke a disproportionate burden, but it must document and justify it.
Which standard applies?
The technical reference is the European standard EN 301 549, which incorporates the WCAG level AA criteria for web content. In France, the RGAA provides an operational testing method aligned with these requirements.
Where to start?
- Check your scope: which services, which countries, which channels (website, app, emails, documents).
- Audit your key user journeys: an express audit quickly measures the gap.
- Prioritise fixes according to their impact on your users.
- Document your approach and publish the required accessibility information.
Each Member State has transposed the directive and set its own penalties. If you operate in several countries, the audit must take into account the standard expected locally.
Not sure whether your services are in scope? We check your scope during the scoping call, with no commitment.