The European Accessibility Act has applied since 28 June 2025. It sets accessibility requirements for online shops, consumer banking, e-books and transport websites and apps, among other services. Here is what it covers, who is exempt, what to build to, and how I can help.
law: Directive (EU) 2019/882 applies_from: 28 June 2025 covers: e-commerce, banking, e-books, transport exempt: microenterprises (services) standard: EN 301 549 v3.2.1 (WCAG 2.1) enforced_by: national authorities sensible_target: WCAG 2.2 AA
"Accessibility" here means a website that people with disabilities can use: with a keyboard, a screen reader, magnification or voice control, and without needing to see colour or hear audio to follow it.
EU countries had to turn the Directive into national law by 28 June 2022, and the rules have applied since 28 June 2025. This is not an upcoming deadline: websites and apps in scope are expected to comply now.
E-commerce, consumer banking, e-books, and the websites, mobile services and e-tickets of air, bus, rail and water transport. It also covers telephony, access to audiovisual media services and the 112 emergency number, and products such as computers, smartphones and payment terminals.
The European Commission says the Act does not apply to microenterprises that provide services. The definition of a microenterprise sits in the Directive and in each country's law, so check it before you rely on it.
The Act points to the European standard EN 301 549. Its current version, 3.2.1, uses WCAG 2.1 for web content. It is the best guide to what regulators will measure a website against.
Each EU country designates its own authorities to check services and handle complaints, and sets its own penalties. The Commission's summary gives no amounts, so penalties and procedures vary between countries.
Authorities can verify that a business has corrected failures. A written audit and a record of the fixes you made are the evidence that shows you took it seriously.
Most businesses can answer these in a few minutes. Anything that is unclear is worth confirming with a lawyer.
E-commerce is a covered service
If your online shop sells to consumers in EU countries, the Act may apply to you. The sources I checked do not settle how each EU country treats businesses based outside the EU, so take legal advice before you assume you are exempt.
Websites, apps and e-tickets
Consumer banking, e-books, and the websites, apps and e-tickets of air, bus, rail and water transport are all named in the Act. If your website or app is how customers use these services, it needs to meet the accessibility requirements.
Exempt for services
Microenterprises providing services are exempt. The definition is set in the Directive and national law, so confirm you qualify before you rely on it. Selling to a larger company that must comply can still bring accessibility requirements into your contract.
The EU standard currently uses WCAG 2.1. WCAG 2.2 builds on 2.1, so building to 2.2 AA is the safest single target. It cannot guarantee that you comply with the law, but it is what a regulator, a procurement team or a disabled customer will expect to see.
Everything works without a mouse, you can always see where you are on the page, and sticky headers or cookie banners do not hide the focused item. WCAG 2.2 added a criterion on this.
Every field has a label, errors say what is wrong and how to fix it, and you do not make people retype information. WCAG 2.2 also covers accessible authentication, so logins cannot depend on solving a puzzle or remembering a code.
Enough contrast between text and background, text that resizes without breaking, and buttons big enough to press. WCAG 2.2 added a minimum target size.
Real headings and landmarks, meaningful link text, alt text on images that need it, captions on video and accessible PDFs. Much of this depends on the people who write the content, not only the developers.
I am a senior backend developer who works in Drupal, PHP and Symfony, so I fix problems in the code and templates themselves, not on top of them. I can work on my own, join your team, or work alongside your current agency.
We agree which pages, journeys and templates matter most, such as sign-up, checkout, forms and your most visited pages, and whether the Act applies to you.
Automated scans, then manual keyboard and screen reader testing, because scanners miss many problems. You get a written report with each issue mapped to WCAG 2.2 AA and ranked by impact on real users.
Problems fixed in your theme, templates and components, so every page that uses them improves, with each change tested and released through staging.
Editing forms set up to prompt for alt text and sensible headings, plus short guidance for your content team, so new pages do not undo the work.
A summary of the audit results: what meets the standard, what does not yet, and when it will be fixed. Useful for regulators, customers and procurement teams.
Automated accessibility checks in your release process, and periodic re-testing as part of a maintenance plan, so a new feature does not quietly break what you have fixed.
It can, if you offer a covered service, such as an online shop, to consumers in EU countries. The sources I checked do not settle how each EU country applies it to businesses outside the EU, so get legal advice before assuming you are exempt.
The Commission says microenterprises that provide services are exempt. The definition is set out in the Directive and national law, and it is worth confirming with a lawyer rather than relying on a rule of thumb.
The Act points to EN 301 549, whose current version, 3.2.1, uses WCAG 2.1. I recommend building to WCAG 2.2 AA, which builds on 2.1 and is a safer target as standards move on.
Each EU country sets its own penalties and designates its own authorities, so they vary. The Commission's summary gives no amounts. Take legal advice on your own exposure in the countries you sell to.
In my experience, most accessibility problems live in the underlying markup and templates, which a widget added on top cannot properly change. Fixing the source is more reliable and also helps people using assistive technology that ignores the widget.
Tell me which website, platform and markets you serve. I'll come back with what an audit would cover and a fixed price. The first conversation is free and comes with no obligation.
Checked on 2 November 2026. Figures and dates are as published by each source.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Whether and how the Act applies to your business depends on your circumstances and the countries you serve, so confirm it with a lawyer.