On 28 June 2025, the EU's European Accessibility Act (EAA) formally took effect.

As the rules enter their application phase, requirements for products and digital services in the EU market have risen further. For companies exporting to Europe, satisfying CE, RED, EMC and LVD is no longer enough — accessibility has become an important compliance requirement for a range of products entering the EU market.

What is the EAA?

The European Accessibility Act, formally Directive (EU) 2019/882 on the accessibility requirements for products and services, aims to harmonise accessibility requirements across Member States, remove market barriers created by differing national rules, make digital products and services easier to use for persons with disabilities and older people, and support the single market.

In simple terms, it is about making products and services usable conveniently and safely by more people.

Implementation timeline

· 17 April 2019: the EU adopted Directive (EU) 2019/882.

· By 28 June 2022: Member States completed transposition into national law.

· 28 June 2025: the rules apply, and new products and services in scope must meet the accessibility requirements.

For companies planning to enter the EU market, the rules are now in force and conformity assessment and remediation should start promptly.

Which products and services are affected?

The EAA has broad scope, covering in particular:

Consumer electronics

· Smartphones

· Tablet computers

· E-book readers

Self-service terminals

· ATMs

· Payment terminals

· Self-service ticket machines

· Self-service check-in terminals

· Information kiosks

Digital services

· E-commerce platforms

· Online banking

· Communication services

· E-book services

Digital applications

· Mobile apps

· Websites

· Online management platforms

Any product with a display interface or human-machine interaction, or that delivers digital services to users, should be assessed for EAA applicability.

What the EAA requires

The EAA does not require every product to adopt the same design. It requires that products be genuinely accessible so that users with different abilities can operate them normally. The main requirements are:

1. Perceivable — information must be easy to obtain, for example through reasonable font sizes, sufficient colour contrast, text alternatives for images and support for voice output.

2. Operable — products should support multiple ways of operating, such as keyboard, touch, voice control and assistive input devices, so that users are not limited to a single method.

3. Understandable — interfaces should be simple, clear and consistent, with well-defined menu structures, easy-to-understand prompts and clear error messages, lowering the learning cost for users.

4. Robust — products should support assistive technology such as screen readers, magnification software and assistive input devices, so that all users can use them.

Main standards referenced in EAA conformity assessment

The EAA is legislation, so practical conformity assessment combines product type with relevant international standards and technical specifications. Commonly used references include:

EN 301 549 — accessibility requirements for ICT products and services (the most widely applied in the EU)

WCAG 2.1 / WCAG 2.2 — accessibility design for websites, apps and web systems

EN ISO 9241 series — human-machine interaction and ergonomics

EN IEC 63008 — accessibility requirements for audio-visual products

EN 17161 — Design for All methodology

ISO 30071-1 — accessibility development process for digital products

EN 301 549 is currently one of the most widely applied standards for ICT accessibility assessment in the EU, covering software, apps, websites, self-service terminals, operating systems, multimedia and communication products. For most digital products it is the key reference for conformity assessment.

WCAG 2.1 / 2.2 should also be referenced where products involve apps, websites, web management platforms or graphical user interfaces. Its core principles are Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust.

Why assess early?

Many companies assume accessibility is only a matter of adjusting a software interface. In practice accessibility runs through the whole product life cycle: product planning, UI/UX design, software development, app development, web platform construction, product documentation and conformity testing.

Remediating after development is complete often means redesigning interfaces and reworking interaction logic, adding time and cost. Companies are therefore advised to carry out accessibility conformity assessment alongside R&D.

How we can help

For the EAA we provide technical support including EAA applicability analysis, product accessibility conformity assessment, app accessibility testing, website accessibility testing, GUI accessibility testing, e-book reader accessibility testing, self-service terminal accessibility testing and remediation advice.

Early assessment and testing help companies find issues sooner, reduce remediation cost and bring products to the EU market more efficiently.

With the EAA in force, accessibility is now part of product design for the European market. For companies it is not only a legal requirement but also an opportunity to improve product quality, user experience and international competitiveness.

If your products involve smart terminals, apps, web platforms or digital services, we recommend starting EAA conformity assessment early to prepare for the European market.