The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is EU Directive 2019/882. It requires certain products placed on the market and certain services provided to consumers after 28 June 2025, including e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books and electronic communications, to meet common accessibility requirements. Microenterprises providing services are exempt from the service requirements.
Each EU country turns the directive into its own national law, and each sets its own penalties, so the rules you meet in practice come from the country where you sell. The directive sets the shared baseline those national laws follow.
What the European Accessibility Act covers
| Products (placed on the market after 28 June 2025) | Services (provided to consumers after 28 June 2025) |
|---|---|
| Consumer computers and their operating systems | E-commerce services |
| Payment terminals, ATMs, ticketing and check-in machines | Consumer banking services |
| Smartphones and other consumer terminal equipment for electronic communications | E-books and dedicated software |
| Equipment for accessing audiovisual media services | Electronic communications services |
| E-readers | Services giving access to audiovisual media, and parts of air, bus, rail and waterborne passenger transport |
For most small online businesses the line that matters is e-commerce. The directive defines an e-commerce service as one provided at a distance, through websites and mobile device-based services, by electronic means, at the individual request of a consumer, with a view to concluding a consumer contract. It says the e-commerce rules apply to the online sale of any product or service.
The microenterprise exemption
This is the part small businesses should read twice. The directive says microenterprises providing services are exempt from the service accessibility requirements and the obligations that go with them. It defines a microenterprise as one that employs fewer than 10 persons and has an annual turnover, or an annual balance sheet total, not exceeding €2 million (the directive's figure, as of October 2026).
- The exemption is for services. It covers microenterprises providing services. Products are handled differently, so a micro business that makes a covered product should check the product rules.
- B2B sales sit outside the service scope. The service rules apply to services provided to consumers.
- Grow past the threshold and it changes. Hiring your tenth person, or passing the turnover limit, moves you out of the exemption.
What the Act doesn't apply to on your website
The directive lists website and app content it doesn't cover, which saves a lot of panic about old material:
- Pre-recorded time-based media, such as videos, published before 28 June 2025
- Office file formats, such as PDFs and documents, published before 28 June 2025
- Online maps, if the essential information is provided in an accessible digital way for maps used for navigation
- Third-party content that you don't fund, develop or control
- Archives: content that isn't updated or edited after 28 June 2025
The catch: anything you publish or edit from that date is in scope, so the archive exemption ends the moment you refresh an old product page.
What a covered service provider has to do
- Design the service to the requirements. The accessibility requirements are set out in the directive's Annex I.
- Publish how you meet them. Service providers must prepare information explaining how the service meets the requirements, make it public in written and oral format in a way that's accessible, and keep it for as long as the service runs.
- Keep it compliant. Have procedures so the service stays in conformity as the service, the requirements or the standards change.
- Fix and report problems. If the service isn't compliant, take corrective action and immediately inform the national authorities where the service is provided.
Disproportionate burden and fundamental alteration
The requirements apply only to the extent that compliance doesn't fundamentally alter the basic nature of a product or service, and doesn't impose a disproportionate burden on the business. If you rely on this, you have to carry out and document an assessment, and service providers should renew it at least every five years. The directive is clear that lack of priority, time or knowledge isn't a legitimate reason.
Why the EU brought it in
The European Commission describes the Act as a way to improve the internal market for accessible products and services by removing barriers created by different rules in each country. It lists what businesses get out of it: common accessibility rules across the EU, easier cross-border trading and more market opportunities for accessible products and services. For people with disabilities and older people, it means more accessible products and services and fewer barriers to transport, education and work.
That's the useful way to read it if you sell into several EU countries: one set of requirements to design to, rather than a different rulebook in every market.
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Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| June 2022 | EU countries had to put the Act into national law |
| 28 June 2025 | The requirements apply to covered products and services |
| 28 June 2030 | End of the transitional period for services using products already in use before 28 June 2025 |
Service contracts agreed before 28 June 2025 can continue unchanged until they expire, but for no longer than five years from that date. Self-service terminals already in use may continue until the end of their economically useful life, up to 20 years after they entered use.
My advice
If you sell online to EU consumers, check two numbers first: your headcount and your turnover. If you're a microenterprise providing services, you're exempt from the service rules, but accessible checkout pages still win customers. If you're above the threshold, start with your checkout, product pages and forms, then publish the information page the Act asks for. Our guide to web accessibility covers the basics, and this round-up of accessibility checker tools helps you find the problems before a customer does.
Frequently asked questions
What is the European Accessibility Act?
It's EU Directive 2019/882, which sets common accessibility requirements for certain products and services, including e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books and electronic communications.
When did the European Accessibility Act come into force?
Its requirements apply to covered products placed on the market and services provided to consumers after 28 June 2025.
Are small businesses exempt from the European Accessibility Act?
Microenterprises providing services are exempt from the service accessibility requirements. A microenterprise employs fewer than 10 persons and has an annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million.
Does the European Accessibility Act cover old website content?
It doesn't apply to pre-recorded media and office files published before 28 June 2025, or to archives that aren't updated or edited after that date.
Who enforces the European Accessibility Act?
Each EU country enforces its national law based on the directive and sets its own penalties, which the directive says must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
