The European Accessibility Act (EAA), effective from June 28, 2025, will require all service providers in certain industries within the EU to ensure their digital services are accessible. This aims to create a level playing field for 135 million people with disabilities by mandating accessibility standards for a wide range of products and services. A recent webinar by tretton37 provided essential insights and practical steps for businesses to prepare, featuring experts Samuel Bergström (Lead Designer), Teodor Jonsson (Frontend Developer), and Max Almqvist (Product Manager).
You can watch the full recording here, or continue reading below for the summary of key points.
Does the EAA apply to all businesses?
As a matter of fact, this could vary according to the size of the company. A microenterprise (fewer than 10 employees and €2 million annual turnover) for instance won’t need to comply with the act. However, regardless of the size of an enterprise, the main goal for every business is to reach a bigger audience, have a good reputation and be innovative. Think about not only the functional side of testing, but also the nonfunctional side.
Micro-enterprises, though exempt from certain EAA 2025 requirements, can gain a competitive edge by improving accessibility. They can leverage free online resources, such as the Web Accessibility Initiative's tutorials, to learn about inclusive practices. Implementing simple changes like adding alt text to images (e.g., "Red apple on a wooden table") and ensuring proper colour contrast (e.g., dark text on light backgrounds) can significantly enhance website accessibility.Micro-enterprises can also gather user feedback through surveys or usability testing to identify and address accessibility issues.
For more complex projects, such as creating accessible e-commerce platforms or developing screen reader-compatible web applications, collaborating with accessibility experts can provide valuable insights.
As Samuel Bergström mentioned in the webinar, the target audience for this act includes not only individuals with permanent disabilities but also those with temporary and situational disabilities.
This broader perspective ensures accessibility for everyone, as illustrated in the infographics from Microsoft accessibility design 101 below.
Understanding the European Accessibility Act (EAA)
The EAA extends existing physical accessibility requirements to digital services. This regulation aims to eliminate discrimination and ensure everyone has the right to use digital services. Key points include:
- Regulation Scope: Services in electronic communication, media, transportation, banking, eBooks, and eCommerce must comply.
- Compliance Standards: Based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring comprehensive digital accessibility.
- Exemptions: Small organisations with annual revenue under 2 million euros or fewer than ten employees may be exempt.
- Penalties: Non-compliant products and services will face fines and restrictions within the EU market.
What is “WCAG” (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
WCAG or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines were prepared by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It is built on four main principles, known as POUR:
- Perceivable: Information must be presentable in ways all users can perceive.
- Operable: User interface and navigation must be operable by everyone.
- Understandable: Information and interface operation must be understandable.
- Robust: Content must be interpretable by a wide range of user agents, including assistive technologies.
Enforcement and Penalties of the EAA 2025
In order to ensure that businesses offer accessible products and services to people with disabilities, the European Union has established the EAA Act 2025. EU countries are responsible for carrying out regular checks on compliance, handling complaints and monitoring corrective actions by companies.
According to TDMP, penalties for failure to comply with the requirements will be determined by each EU country and adjustments based on factors, e.g. severity of compliance as well as impact on those who have been subject to it. These penalties range from EUR 301 to a maximum of EUR 1,000,000, and are designed to be proportionate, effective, and dissuasive.
Individual EU countries have the flexibility to establish rules on enforcement to ensure full compliance with these regulations.
Beyond Compliance: The Business Importance of Accessibility
Accessibility is not just about meeting legal requirements. It offers significant business advantages:
- Market Expansion: Making services accessible can expand market reach by 16-36%.
- Usability Improvements: Enhances the overall user experience for all users.
- SEO Benefits: Improves search engine rankings through better machine readability.
"Accessibility isn’t just about compliance; it’s about helping people," says Samuel Bergström.
Integrating Accessibility in Design and Development
Incorporate accessibility considerations from the earliest stages of design and development. Designers and developers need to consider many aspects of accessibility, including (but not limited to) the following:
- Semantic HTML: Use correct HTML elements to improve accessibility.
- Native Browser Features: Prioritise built-in browser features over custom solutions.
- Third-Party Accessibility: Ensure third-party services, like authentication systems, are accessible.
- Alternative Authentication: Implement options like audible CAPTCHAs.
These are just a few examples of the numerous accessibility considerations that should be addressed throughout the design and development process.
The Role of Management
Management support is crucial for effective accessibility implementation. Max Almqvist highlights the importance of securing management buy-in to allocate necessary resources and time for accessibility initiatives.
Assigning clear responsibility within the organisation helps drive these efforts and ensures accountability.
Conducting Accessibility Reviews
Regular reviews are essential to maintain and improve accessibility:
- Automated Tools: Use free tools like Lighthouse, Wave, and Axe to help you identify your main accessibility issues.
- Manual Testing: Human review is crucial for assessing contextual and experiential aspects of accessibility. They can spot nuanced issues that automated tools miss, such as confusing navigation, unclear instructions, or content that doesn't make sense when read aloud.
- Assistive Technologies: Test with screen readers and other assistive technologies to ensure services are usable by people with disabilities.
Important to note: While free automated accessibility tools are like helpful robots scanning your website for obvious issues, they're not 100% reliable. According to Accesibility.works these tools can catch about 30% of accessibility problems, which is a good start, but far from a complete review.
This does not mean you should avoid automated tools. Like any tool, they have a place in your toolbox. When used correctly, they can be extremely helpful. When used in the hands of a novice, they can result in a sense of complacency. When not used at all, they can be a missed opportunity.
Practical First Steps
To effectively start your journey towards accessibility compliance, consider implementing the following practical steps:
- User-Centric Design: Test products without using a mouse to uncover accessibility issues and ensure your design systems are inherently accessible.
- Education and Training: Train all team members on the importance of accessibility and their specific roles.
- Ongoing Evaluation: Regularly review and update accessibility practices to stay compliant with evolving standards.
Conclusion
As we come closer to the implementation of the EAA 2025, it is clear that the digital world is set to undergo a transformative shift. Which means that preparing for the 2025 European Accessibility Act requires a comprehensive and proactive approach in the near future for a lot of companies.
For businesses, this means not only adapting to meet the legal requirements, but also embracing the opportunity to lead in creating accessible digital experiences for all of their users, and expand their market reach.
Read more about it:
- EAA Law
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32019L0882 - The European Accessibility Act 2025: Everything you need to knowhttps://www.tdmp.co.uk/insights/european-accessibility-act-2025-everything-you-need-know
- European Accessibility Act (EAA): Top 20 Key Questions Answered
https://www.deque.com/blog/european-accessibility-act-eaa-top-20-key-questions-answered/ - The European Accessibility Act Compliance Deadline Is Approaching — Are You Ready?
https://www.forrester.com/blogs/the-european-accessibility-act-compliance-deadline-is-approaching-are-you-ready/ - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/ - Understanding WCAG Guidelines
https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/understanding-wcag-guidelines/ - WCAG 2.1 Implementation Report
https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/implementation-report/ - Human vs Automated WCAG Website Auditing for ADA Compliance
https://www.accessibility.works/blog/human-vs-automated-testing-wcag-ada-compliance/ - Comparing Manual and Free Automated WCAG Reviews
https://adrianroselli.com/2023/01/comparing-manual-and-free-automated-wcag-reviews.html
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