Everything on EAA/EN301549  Compliance

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is legislation that was passed by the E.U. in April 2019 to require accessibility for digital products and services.  

EN 301549 is a policy document produced by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), which is the E.U. agency that regulates the digital sphere. EN 301549 defines official standards for web accessibility. 

It is important to note that European policy on web accessibility took shape over a long, often complicated process. For companies to fully understand European accessibility compliance, a bit of background is necessary.

Important note: The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is set to come into effect on June 28, 2025.

What this means:

• New websites and digital services that fall under the EAA's scope must comply with accessibility standards starting June 28, 2025
• Existing products and services (including websites) that were already on the market before June 28, 2025, may have until June 28, 2030, to reach compliance, depending on the specific rules in each EU country

The EAA applies to businesses that provide key digital and electronic products or services that people use regularly, such as:

• Computers, smartphones, and operating systems (laptops, tablets, and related software)
• Telecommunication services and equipment (phone networks, VoIP, messaging apps)
• TV and streaming services (digital TV broadcasts, smart TVs, online streaming platforms)
• Self-service machines (ATMs, ticketing machines, check-in kiosks)
• Banking and financial services (online banking, ATMs, card payment systems)
• Public transportation booking and info services (train, bus, airline websites and apps)
• eBooks and e-readers (digital reading platforms)
• Online shopping and eCommerce platforms (webshops, digital marketplaces, payment gateways)

What about government services?

The EAA mainly applies to private businesses, but companies that work with European government agencies or provide online business services also need to comply.

If your company sells to EU consumers, whether based inside or outside the EU, you should check if the EAA applies to your products or services.

The EAA official Fact Sheet states that the law will “not impose detailed technical solutions telling how to make” a site compliant.

What this means is that the EAA doesn’t set specific accessibility standards or technical requirements for compliance, instead allowing flexibility in how businesses achieve accessibility.

In practice, however, there are strong indications that companies will be expected to meet the standards of EN 301 549.

EN 301 549 is the EU’s harmonized standard for ICT accessibility and has been widely referenced in discussions leading up to the EAA. It was cited multiple times in the law's proposal text and has been endorsed by the European Disability Forum (EDF), a key advocate and consultant in shaping the EAA.

Additionally, the European Commission has tasked standards organizations with updating EN 301 549 to align with the EAA.

The updated version, V4.1.1, is expected to be published in 2025, providing a structured framework for demonstrating compliance. Given EN 301 549's established role in EU accessibility directives, it is reasonable to expect that regulators will refer to this standard when assessing EAA compliance.

While the EAA does not prescribe a single accessibility standard, businesses looking to ensure compliance would be well-advised to align their digital and ICT offerings with EN 301 549 as a benchmark.

You can use a free web accessibility auditing tool to test your website for EAA compliance and WCAG conformance with ease.

With accessScan, accessiBe's free website accessibility checker, you’re presented with a holistic overview of accessibility issues existing within your website.

Once you submit your website’s URL, accessScan will run a quick audit, after which you will be presented with a score (accessible, semi-compliant, non-compliant), along with a detailed breakdown of the accessibility issues found throughout the audit (if any exist).

You’ll be able to download these results in PDF form as well.

You can also rely on web accessibility experts, like accessServices, to manually inspect your website for accessibility and compliance issues.

With an intimate knowledge of WCAG, accessServices will perform an in-depth audit of your website and find whatever accessibility issues exist within it. 

Establishing a unified European policy on web accessibility was a long and complex process. Since the early 2000s, E.U. authorities have worked to create policies addressing the digital accessibility needs of citizens with disabilities. Over time, this effort led to legally binding standards for both public and private entities

Important milestones in the formation of this law:

• 2006 – Riga Ministerial Declaration set full web accessibility as a strategic goal for the coming years
• 2010 – European Disability Strategy (EDS) & Mandate 376 introduced the Accessible ICT Procurement Toolkit, harmonizing accessibility requirements across E.U. Member States
• 2015 – First version of EN 301 549 established accessibility standards for ICT products and services, including web and mobile technologies
• 2016 – Web Accessibility Directive required public sector websites and mobile apps to comply with accessibility standards
• 2019 – European Accessibility Act (EAA) officially adopted, creating a legal framework for accessibility requirements that apply to various industries
• 2022 – EAA Transposition Deadline E.U. Member States were required to incorporate the EAA into their national laws

Recent developments

• 2021 – Updated EN 301 549 the standard was revised to align with WCAG 2.1 and address emerging digital accessibility challenges
• 2025 – EAA enforcement begins from June 28, 2025, companies must comply with EAA accessibility requirements for a wide range of digital products and services