Regulation
The European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882) requires digital products and services in the EU to meet accessibility standards. It references EN 301 549, which aligns with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. With enforcement active since June 2025, businesses need automated tools to audit, remediate, and continuously monitor accessibility across their digital properties. This page explains what the EAA requires, who it applies to, and how to prepare.
Harmonised accessibility requirements for products and services across the EU single market.
New products and services must comply. Existing products have until June 28, 2030.
References WCAG 2.1 AA. Meeting WCAG 2.2 AA future-proofs compliance.
Websites, mobile apps, e-commerce, banking, transport, and telecommunications services.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA), formally Directive (EU) 2019/882, is EU legislation that requires certain products and services — including websites, mobile apps, e-commerce platforms, and banking services — to be accessible to people with disabilities. It applies to businesses operating in the EU and must be transposed into national law by EU member states. The EAA builds on EN 301 549, which references WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard.
The EAA references the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which currently maps to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. However, WCAG 2.2 is backward-compatible — meeting WCAG 2.2 AA automatically satisfies 2.1 AA. Experts recommend targeting WCAG 2.2 AA to future-proof compliance as EN 301 549 is expected to update its reference to 2.2.
The EAA enforcement deadline was June 28, 2025. From that date, products and services placed on the EU market must meet accessibility requirements. Existing products and services that were already on the market before June 28, 2025 have a transition period until June 28, 2030. Businesses should audit their digital products now to identify and remediate accessibility gaps.
Start with an automated accessibility audit against WCAG 2.2 AA to identify current gaps. Prioritise critical failures (color contrast, keyboard navigation, missing alt text, form labels). Implement fixes and establish ongoing monitoring via CI/CD or scheduled audits. Document your compliance efforts — the EAA requires demonstrating due diligence. VertaaUX automates this entire workflow.
Yes. VertaaUX checks against WCAG 2.2 Level AA — which satisfies the EN 301 549 standard referenced by the EAA. It detects color contrast failures, missing alt text, keyboard navigation issues, ARIA errors, and more. Findings include specific WCAG success criteria references and AI-generated fix suggestions. Scheduled audits and CI/CD integration help maintain ongoing compliance.
Run a free WCAG 2.2 audit to identify accessibility gaps before regulators do. VertaaUX maps findings to specific success criteria and generates fix suggestions.