The European Accessibility Act applies across all EU member states.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is the European Union's big step toward making products and digital services accessible for everyone. Adopted in 2019, the Act became fully enforceable across all EU member states in June 2025
What the EAA Covers
The Act applies to many everyday digital experiences across Europe, including:
- E-commerce (online shops and payment systems)
- Banking services (apps, ATMs, and online portals)
- Transport services (ticket machines and travel apps)
- E-books and reading platforms
- Smartphones, computers, and TVs
- Public sector websites and mobile apps
Basically, if it's a digital product or service used by the public, it needs to meet accessibility standards.
The Goal
"The EAA is a directive that aims to improve the functioning of the internal market for accessible products and services, by removing barriers created by divergent rules in Member States" - official mission statement from the EU
Resulting in:
- common rules on accessibility in the EU leading to costs reduction
- more market opportunities for business's accessible products and services
- more accessible products and services in the market
- accessible products and services at more competitive prices
and for Designers in particular: more jobs available where accessibility expertise is needed
Connection to WCAG
The Act uses the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as its digital foundation, specifically WCAG 2.1 Level AA via the EN 301 549 standard. That means if your website or app meets WCAG 2.1 AA, you're EAA-compliant.
To read more details about the EAA, you can check out the European Commissio's official article, and the official directive