The EAA (European Accessibility Act) is Directive (EU) 2019/882 on the accessibility requirements for products and services. In tech regulation, within consumer and accessibility law, it is the EU rule that makes accessibility a market access condition for a defined list of everyday digital products and services, such as e-commerce sites, banking apps, e-books, ticket machines and smartphones, so that persons with disabilities can use them on an equal basis with others.
The directive was adopted in 2019, member states had to transpose it by 28 June 2022, and national rules have applied since 28 June 2025. Because it is a directive, enforcement details, penalties and supervisory authorities come from national law and vary between countries. This description is for orientation and is not legal advice.
Products and services covered by the EAA
The EAA does not apply to all digital products. It covers a closed list of products and services chosen because they are essential for participation in daily life and because divergent national rules had fragmented the internal market.
| Category | Covered items | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Consumer general-purpose computer hardware and operating systems | Laptops, tablets, desktop operating systems |
| Products | Self-service terminals | ATMs, ticketing and check-in machines, payment terminals |
| Products | Consumer terminal equipment for communications and media | Smartphones, smart TVs, set-top boxes |
| Products | E-readers | Dedicated e-book reading devices |
| Services | Electronic communications and access to audiovisual media | Messaging and calling services, streaming interfaces |
| Services | Elements of passenger transport services | Websites, apps, e-tickets, real-time travel information |
| Services | Consumer banking, e-books and e-commerce | Online banking, e-book shops, online stores |
Microenterprises that provide services, meaning fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 2 million, are exempt from the service requirements. Microenterprises that make products are not exempt, although they face lighter documentation duties.
Accessibility requirements and harmonized standards
Annex I of the directive sets functional accessibility requirements rather than prescribing specific technology. Information must be available through more than one sensory channel, user interfaces must be operable without fine motor control or vision, and content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
For websites and mobile applications, conformity is in practice demonstrated against EN 301 549, the European standard for ICT accessibility, which incorporates the success criteria of WCAG 2.1 at level AA. A revised version aligned specifically with the EAA is being prepared, so organizations should follow the current harmonized reference as it is updated.
| Requirement area | Practical measure | Users mainly helped |
|---|---|---|
| Perceivable content | Text alternatives, captions, sufficient color contrast | Blind, low-vision and deaf users |
| Operable interface | Full keyboard access, no time traps, visible focus | Users with motor impairments |
| Understandable content | Clear labels, error messages and consistent navigation | Users with cognitive disabilities |
| Robust implementation | Valid semantics compatible with assistive technologies | Screen reader and switch users |
| Service information | Accessible description of how the service meets requirements | All users and supervisory authorities |
Service providers must also publish information explaining how their service meets the accessibility requirements, typically in the terms and conditions or a comparable public statement, and must keep it available for as long as the service operates.
Exceptions and transitional periods
The EAA allows two narrow exceptions. A requirement need not be met if it would cause a fundamental alteration of the product or service, or if it would impose a disproportionate burden on the economic operator. Both must be supported by a documented assessment using criteria in Annex VI, renewed periodically, and they cannot be invoked merely because accessibility was not planned early enough.
| Situation | Transitional rule | Latest end date |
|---|---|---|
| Service contracts concluded before June 2025 | May continue unchanged until they expire | 28 June 2030 |
| Products already used to provide services | May continue to be used for those services | 28 June 2030 |
| Self-service terminals in use | May stay in service until the end of their economically useful life | Up to 20 years after entry into use |
Member states could choose whether to apply some of these transitional options, so the national transposition law decides which ones are available in practice.
How the EAA relates to other accessibility rules
The EAA extends to the private sector principles that previously bound mainly public bodies in the EU. It sits beside several other instruments that are frequently confused with it.
| Instrument | Who it binds | Key difference |
|---|---|---|
| Web Accessibility Directive | Public sector websites and apps | Public bodies only; requires accessibility statements |
| EN 301 549 | Voluntary standard used to show conformity | Technical benchmark, not a law |
| ADA | US businesses open to the public | Civil rights law enforced mainly through litigation |
| Section 508 | US federal agencies and their ICT procurement | Procurement-driven, not a market access rule |
Enforcement and common pitfalls
National market surveillance authorities check products and service compliance, can order corrective measures and can restrict non-compliant offerings. Penalties are set nationally and must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive, so their level differs considerably across member states.
- Relying on an overlay widget alone. Automated overlays rarely achieve real WCAG conformance.
- Ignoring non-EU status. Businesses outside the EU are covered when they sell to EU consumers.
- Testing only the home page. The whole purchase or booking journey must be accessible.
- Forgetting third-party components. Payment widgets and chat tools are part of the provider’s service.
The idea in brief
The EAA is an EU law that makes common digital products usable for people with disabilities. Online shops, banking apps, e-books, ticket machines and phones must work for someone who is blind, deaf or unable to use a mouse.
Think of it as a ramp at a shop entrance, but for screens. If a business sells these products or services to people in the EU, accessibility is now a basic requirement, not an optional extra.
A practical scenario
A mid-sized online retailer selling household goods in five EU countries prepares for the EAA. An audit against EN 301 549 finds that the checkout cannot be completed by keyboard, product images lack text alternatives and error messages appear only in red. The team fixes the checkout flow, adds alternative text through its product data system and rewrites form errors as clear text messages.
It also publishes a statement describing how the store meets the requirements and how customers can report barriers. After the changes, screen reader users complete purchases without assistance, and support requests about failed orders fall noticeably. The retailer documents its testing so it can answer any question from a market surveillance authority.