The European Accessibility Act 2025: What Your Business Must Do Now

What is the European Accessibility Act?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is EU legislation that requires products and services sold in the EU to meet specific accessibility standards. It came into force on 28 June 2025. Unlike previous accessibility guidance, the EAA is legally binding — non-compliance can result in financial penalties and market access restrictions.

The EAA covers a wide range of digital products and services including websites, mobile apps, e-commerce platforms, banking services, e-books, and telecommunications. If your business operates in the EU or sells digital products to EU customers, this law applies to you.

Who does the EAA apply to?

The EAA applies to:

• Businesses with more than 10 employees or more than €2 million in annual turnover
• Any organisation providing products or services to EU markets — including UK businesses post-Brexit
• Public sector organisations (which were already covered by earlier directives)

Micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees and under €2m turnover) are exempt, but are encouraged to comply.

What technical standard does the EAA require?

The EAA maps directly to WCAG 2.1 Level AA — the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the W3C. Your digital products must meet all WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria to be considered compliant. This covers four core principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR).

What are the most common WCAG 2.1 AA failures?

Based on our accessibility audits, the most frequently discovered failures are:

1. Insufficient colour contrast — text that fails the 4.5:1 ratio requirement against its background
2. Missing alt text on images conveying meaningful content
3. Inaccessible forms — inputs without labels, unclear error messages
4. Keyboard trap issues — interactive components you can tab to but cannot exit without a mouse
5. Missing focus indicators — keyboard users cannot see where they are on the page
6. Non-descriptive link text — links labelled "click here" or "read more" with no context

What should you do right now?

1. Run an accessibility audit — use a tool like the RedQA Accessibility Scanner to get an immediate baseline on your WCAG compliance status.
2. Prioritise Critical failures — fix any Level A failures before AA. These are the most severe barriers.
3. Publish an accessibility statement — the EAA requires you to communicate your compliance status and provide a way for users to report issues.
4. Test with assistive technologies — automated tools catch approximately 30% of accessibility failures. Manual testing with screen readers is essential.
5. Build accessibility into your workflow — treat it as a quality standard, not a one-off audit.

What are the penalties for non-compliance?

Enforcement is handled by each EU member state. Penalties vary by country but can include fines, injunctions, and — critically — being prohibited from selling products or services in that market until compliance is achieved. The reputational and commercial impact of enforcement action far exceeds the cost of proactive compliance.

Need help becoming EAA compliant?

RedQA's accessibility testing service covers full WCAG 2.1 AA and AAA audits, assistive technology testing, and remediation guidance. Get in touch for a free consultation.