A new European Accessibility Act (EAA) is coming into force on 28 June 2025. Just as with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), all companies doing business in Europe will be required to meet the minimum requirements. Falling behind in accessibility could cost them dearly – with the potential for legal action and hefty financial penalties.
Now’s the time to act to ensure your business is compliant before June. Here’s everything you need to know about the new rules, what’s required – and why it matters. Design Operations Strategist, Patrizia Bertini, from business communications and CX (customer experience) specialist 8x8, also gives us an essential five-step guide to what you need to do before that deadline comes into force.
What You Need to Know
The EAA aims to improve the accessibility of products and services across the European Union. The UK, USA and Canada have similar frameworks to meet accessibility standards.
The EAA represents a significant expansion and strengthening of digital accessibility requirements for businesses operating in Europe, with major financial and operational implications for non-compliance. The key aspects that it covers are:
- Scope - The EAA applies to both public sector and private sector companies that provide digital products and services within the European Union. This is a broader scope than previous accessibility laws.
- Technical Standards - The EAA mandates a minimum compliance level of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1 at the AA level. This covers a wide range of accessibility criteria for websites and digital applications.
- Enforcement and Penalties - The EAA includes strong enforcement mechanisms, with the ability for competitors to file complaints about non-compliance. Penalties can be severe, with fines up to 6-7% of a company's global revenue, as well as potential contract exclusions. This means that businesses can cancel any contract without penalty if they fail to comply with the EAA.
- Beyond Websites - The requirements extend beyond just websites - encompassing all digital products and services provided by companies. This includes mobile apps, software, e-commerce platforms and other digital touchpoints.
- Ongoing Compliance - Starting from 28 June 2025, all new websites, products and digital experiences must comply with the new standard. And all products must be retrofitted and made compliant. Furthermore, the EAA is not a one-time requirement, but an ongoing obligation to keep up with evolving accessibility standards and guidelines as technology progresses.
- National Implementation - While the EAA is an EU-level directive, individual member states are responsible for implementing the specific laws and enforcement mechanisms within their countries, leading to some variations.
The UK, USA and Canada have similar frameworks to meet accessibility standards, but the EEA goes further. Currently, UK laws focus mainly on the public sector, while the EAA extends its reach to private businesses too.
In the UK, relevant laws are the Equality Act 2010 (that makes it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities) and the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (that ensures that public sector websites and apps meet the WCAG standards). The US also recently reviewed its own guidance.
The EAA will be enforced at the national level in EU countries, which means there may be some variation in requirements from member state to member state. To avoid penalties for non-compliance, global companies providing digital services in the EU need to invest in compliance with EAA requirements.
What You Need to Do – Now: Five Steps to Success
Patrizia Bertini heads up accessibility and design operations at business communications and CX specialist 8x8. She and her team are taking a holistic, company-wide approach to accessibility, going beyond just the legal requirements to make it a core part of their business and culture.
Patrizia highlighted the severity of different countries' penalties for non-compliance: “In some countries like Germany, you face fines for every error, every checkpoint that you are not respecting up to, up to 500,000 euros." Beyond fines, she adds: "Ireland, for instance, has implemented the clause where they can even put the CEO in jail up to 18 months."
Patrizia breaks down her five-step plan to the steps you need to take towards compliance:
1. Make a Comprehensive Assessment
