The European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into effect on June 28, 2025. It requires that digital products and services — including websites and mobile apps — sold in the EU meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards. Non-compliance can result in fines up to €30,000 and your product being banned from the EU market.
Who Must Comply?
The EAA applies to businesses that provide products or services to EU consumers, regardless of where the business is headquartered. Key industries include:
- E-commerce websites and online marketplaces
- Banking and financial services
- Telecommunications services
- Media and streaming services
- Transportation and travel booking
- E-books and digital publishing
Exemption: Micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees and less than €2M annual turnover) are exempt, but only from service requirements — not product requirements.
What Is WCAG 2.1 AA?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA is the international standard for web accessibility. It covers four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR).
Key Requirements
| Category | Requirement | What to Check |
|---|---|---|
| Images | Alt text on all images | Every <img> needs a descriptive alt attribute |
| Color contrast | 4.5:1 minimum ratio | Text must be readable against its background |
| Keyboard navigation | Full keyboard access | All interactive elements must work without a mouse |
| Forms | Labeled form fields | Every input needs an associated <label> |
| Headings | Proper heading hierarchy | Use h1-h6 in order, no skipping levels |
| Links | Descriptive link text | No "click here" or "read more" without context |
| ARIA | Correct ARIA attributes | ARIA roles, states, and properties must be valid |
| Language | Document language set | <html lang="en"> must be present |
| Focus | Visible focus indicators | Tab focus must be clearly visible |
| Media | Captions and transcripts | Videos need captions; audio needs transcripts |
Common Accessibility Violations
Based on our analysis of thousands of websites, the most common EAA violations are:
- Missing alt text (89% of sites) — Images without descriptive alternatives
- Low color contrast (83% of sites) — Text that's hard to read, especially on mobile
- Missing form labels (67% of sites) — Input fields without associated labels
- Empty links (58% of sites) — Links with no text content or aria-label
- Missing document language (25% of sites) — No lang attribute on the html element
How to Audit Your Website
An accessibility audit should cover both automated checks and manual testing:
Automated Testing
- Run a PrivacyChecker Pro+ scan — our accessibility module checks 15+ WCAG criteria across all your pages
- Use browser extensions like Axe DevTools or WAVE for page-level testing
- Test with screen readers (NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on Mac)
Manual Testing
- Navigate your entire site using only the keyboard (Tab, Enter, Escape)
- Test with browser zoom at 200%
- Verify all forms can be completed without a mouse
- Check that error messages are announced to screen readers
Implementation Checklist
| Action | Priority | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Add alt text to all images | Critical | Low |
| Fix color contrast ratios | Critical | Medium |
| Add form labels | Critical | Low |
| Implement keyboard navigation | High | Medium |
| Fix heading hierarchy | High | Low |
| Add skip-to-content link | Medium | Low |
| Add ARIA landmarks | Medium | Medium |
| Add video captions | Medium | High |
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Each EU member state sets its own enforcement and penalty structure. Penalties can include fines up to €30,000, removal from the market, and public enforcement actions. More importantly, inaccessible websites exclude approximately 87 million Europeans with disabilities — a significant market opportunity lost.
Getting Started
The fastest way to assess your EAA compliance is to run an automated accessibility audit. PrivacyChecker Pro+ checks your site against 15+ WCAG 2.1 AA criteria and provides specific fix recommendations for each issue found. Start with a free scan to see your current accessibility score.