European Accessibility Act
European Accessibility Act: What Does It Mean for Your Website or Web Shop?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) requires many businesses to make digital products and services accessible. You will read what the law involves, how the Netherlands applies it, who it applies to and what you can do now.
What is the European Accessibility Act?
The EAA (Directive (EU) 2019/882) is a European directive that sets accessibility requirements for certain products and services, so that people with a disability can use them. The aim is equal rules in all EU countries. Businesses therefore do not have to meet different requirements in each country.
The requirements have applied since 28 June 2025. For your website or web shop this means: anyone who falls under the directive must make sure visitors with a disability can use the service.
The Dutch implementation
The Netherlands has transposed the directive into national rules: the Implementation Act on accessibility requirements for products and services (Implementatiewet toegankelijkheidseisen voor producten en diensten) entered into force on 28 June 2025. The Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) supervises web shops and electronic communication services, among others. For other sectors, a different supervisor may be competent.
Websites and apps of government organisations have long been subject to their own rules, in the Digital Accessibility Decree for government (Besluit digitale toegankelijkheid overheid). Those are separate from the EAA.
Which businesses and services fall under it?
The EAA focuses on services for consumers. For websites and apps, this includes:
- E-commerce: web shops and other websites and apps with which consumers buy products or services online.
- Consumer banking services, such as internet banking and payment functions.
- Electronic communication services, such as telephony and messaging services, and access to audiovisual media services.
- E-books and e-readers.
- Passenger transport: websites, apps, e-tickets and travel information for air, bus, rail and water transport, for example.
The directive also applies to products such as computers, smartphones, payment terminals and ticket machines. For a website or web shop, the services matter most.
Who is exempt?
Service providers that are a microenterprise are exempt from the requirements for services. These are businesses with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of at most 2 million euros. Check the exact definition in the legal text before relying on it.
The requirements for e-commerce are intended for consumers. A website that serves only business customers does not, in principle, fall under these requirements. Have this checked if in doubt.
In addition, an organisation can invoke a disproportionate burden or a fundamental alteration of the service. You must substantiate this and report it to the supervisor.
Deadlines and transitional rules
| Moment | What it means |
|---|---|
| 28 June 2025 | The accessibility requirements apply to new products and to services provided from that date. |
| Until 28 June 2030 at the latest | Service contracts concluded before 28 June 2025 may continue under the old terms until the end of the contract, but for no longer than five years. |
What does the law require of your website?
The requirements are functional: information and controls must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. For web content, they are in practice assessed against the European standard EN 301 549, which is based on WCAG. Until now that was WCAG 2.1 AA. A new version of the standard (4.1.1, published in 2026) uses WCAG 2.2. Check which version the European Commission has officially designated, because that determines what your website is assessed against.
- Make your website, app and ordering process accessible according to the requirements arising from the standard.
- Provide information about the accessibility of your service, for example on a separate page or in your terms and conditions.
- Make sure support, such as customer service and contact channels, is also accessible.
- Fix reported problems and be reachable for questions or complaints from visitors.
How to prepare
A practical order, even if you are not yet sure whether you fall under the law.
Determine whether you fall under it
Look at which services you provide to consumers, how large your business is and which supervisor applies to your sector.
Tip: In doubt? Ask a lawyer or the supervisor for advice.
Map your current accessibility
Combine automatic tests and AI content analysis with manual testing of your most important pages and processes.
Make a plan with priorities
Start with problems that block visitors, such as an ordering process that does not work with the keyboard.
Improve and test regularly
Tackle a number of improvements every week and check again after every change. New content can cause new problems.
Document what you do
Note your findings, decisions and improvements, and make your service's accessibility information easy for visitors to find.
Please note: this is not legal advice
This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Whether and how the law applies to your organisation depends on your services and situation. If in doubt, consult a lawyer or the supervisor.
Automatic WCAG tests and AI content analysis, such as those from AccessRadar, give you a starting point and help you track improvements every week.
Automatic tests and AI content analysis
AccessRadar combines automatic tests with AI content analysis. You see not only technical errors, but also which texts truly help your visitors.
The AI analysis reads the text of your pages and gives suggestions, for example for:
- Alternative text: does the text say something meaningful, or is it 'image', a file name or 'click here'?
- Link text: do the link text and the text around it make clear where a link leads?
- Headings and labels: do they describe the topic or the field, or are they empty words such as 'Info' or 'Field 1'?
- Page titles and forms: is it clear what a page is about and what a field expects?
You get concrete suggestions for better texts, which you pick up directly in your weekly improvement plan. This way your website moves closer to WCAG 2.2 AA suitability every week and reaches more customers.
Read how tests and AI analysis work together in the improvement plan
Read also
Practical explanations of WCAG and digital accessibility.
The Dutch Accessibility Law for Web Shops: What Do You Need to Arrange?
Does your web shop fall under the Dutch accessibility law? Read which requirements apply since 28 June 2025, which parts matter and how to improve step by step.
Accessibility Statement: What Goes In It and How to Write One
What is an accessibility statement, who needs one and what goes in it? Read how to write one step by step and keep it up to date.
WCAG 2.2 Explained: the Accessibility Guidelines for Websites
What is WCAG 2.2? Read what levels A, AA and AAA mean, which requirements are central and why accessibility matters for your website.
Check your website for WCAG for free
Request the free WCAG check from AccessRadar and receive the results of an automatic scan by email, as a starting point for your improvements.
Want to keep going every week afterwards? The WCAG improvement plan adds weekly scans and AI content analysis.
A WCAG scan supports your assessment. An automated WCAG scan cannot establish full WCAG 2.2 AA compliance. Combine regular WCAG scans with manual evaluation and feedback from people with disabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions About the European Accessibility Act
Is the European Accessibility Act already mandatory?
Yes. The requirements have applied since 28 June 2025 to products and services that fall under the directive. Transitional rules apply to existing service contracts.
Does the EAA also apply to my small web shop?
That depends on your size. Microenterprises, with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of at most 2 million euros, are exempt from the requirements for services. Check this in the legal text.
Which WCAG version should I use?
The European standard EN 301 549 was based on WCAG 2.1 AA until now. A new version uses WCAG 2.2. Anyone who meets WCAG 2.2 AA also meets WCAG 2.1 AA in practice, and is therefore prepared for both versions.
What happens if my website does not comply?
The supervisor, for web shops the ACM, can take enforcement action and impose measures. The exact possibilities are set out in Dutch legislation.
Is an accessibility scan enough to comply with the EAA?
Automatic tests and AI analysis give you a strong foundation and show where to improve. For demonstrable compliance, manual testing is added, with regular checks.