The European Accessibility Act (EAA) imposes mandatory accessibility requirements on global ecommerce and SaaS businesses. Learn how to prepare.
While American businesses have spent years navigating lawsuits under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a major new international regulation is now transforming digital commerce: the European Accessibility Act (EAA), formally known as Directive (EU) 2019/882.
Unlike the ADA—which relies primarily on private litigation and court interpretation—the EAA is a statutory directive with direct regulatory enforcement, statutory fines, and potential market bans across all 27 European Union member states.
Crucially, the EAA applies to US, Canadian, and global businesses that sell goods, digital subscriptions, or services to consumers residing in the European Union.
The EAA applies broadly across digital products and services, including:
The directive provides an exemption for "microenterprises" defined as businesses that employ fewer than 10 persons AND have an annual turnover or balance sheet total under €2 million. However, if your business exceeds either metric and serves European customers, compliance is legally mandatory.
The harmonized European standard underpinning the EAA is EN 301 549, which directly adopts the criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA.
To comply with the EAA, websites and applications must satisfy the core WCAG AA criteria:
alt attributes), minimum color contrast of 4.5:1 for body copy, and fluid responsive reflow down to 320px.Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter), zero keyboard traps, visible focus rings, and skip-to-content links.<html lang="en">).Enforcement of the EAA is carried out by market surveillance authorities within each EU member state. Sanctions for non-compliant digital storefronts include:
Compliance with both the ADA and the European Accessibility Act begins with continuous automated monitoring.
With Accessibility Shield, you get automated weekly WCAG 2.1 AA audits, a hosted compliance statement, and our ultra-lightweight on-site assistive toolbar with direct barrier feedback for just $1 per month ($12/year).
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