The Developer's Guide to the European Accessibility Act

If you're building digital products for the European market, mark your calendar: June 28, 2025. That's when the European Accessibility Act (EAA) goes into full enforcement, and non-compliant websites, apps, and digital services could face serious legal consequences.

This isn't a "nice-to-have" anymore. It's the law.

🇪🇺 What Is the European Accessibility Act?

The European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882) is EU legislation requiring certain products and services to be accessible to people with disabilities. Unlike guidelines, this is binding law across all 27 EU member states.

🎯 Who Does the EAA Apply To?

The EAA targets private sector businesses—a major shift from previous accessibility laws that mainly focused on public sector websites.

Products Covered

Services Covered

⚠️ Are You Affected? Quick Checklist

Important: Even if you're based outside the EU, if you sell to EU consumers, the EAA applies to you.

🔧 Technical Requirements: What You Actually Need to Build

The EAA references EN 301 549, the European standard for ICT accessibility. For web content, this aligns with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Here's what that means in practice:

The Four WCAG Principles (POUR)

Critical WCAG 2.1 AA Requirements

💻 Code Examples: Making It Real

Example 1: Accessible Image

```html <!-- ❌ Bad: Missing alt text --> <img src="product.jpg">

<!-- ✅ Good: Descriptive alt text --> <img src="product.jpg" alt="Red wireless headphones with noise cancellation">

<!-- ✅ Good: Decorative image --> <img src="decorative-line.png" alt="" role="presentation"> ```

Example 2: Accessible Form

```html <!-- ❌ Bad: No labels, no autocomplete --> <input type="text" placeholder="Email">

<!-- ✅ Good: Proper labeling and autocomplete --> <label for="email">Email Address</label> <input type="email" id="email" name="email" autocomplete="email" aria-describedby="email-hint" required > <span id="email-hint">We'll never share your email</span> ```

Example 3: Accessible Button

```html <!-- ❌ Bad: Div as button, no keyboard support --> <div onclick="submit()">Submit</div>

<!-- ✅ Good: Semantic button element --> <button type="submit" aria-label="Submit contact form"> Submit </button> ```

Example 4: Skip Navigation Link

```html <!-- Add at the very beginning of body --> <a href="#main-content" class="skip-link"> Skip to main content </a>

<style> .skip-link { position: absolute; top: -40px; left: 0; padding: 8px; background: #000; color: #fff; z-index: 100; } .skip-link:focus { top: 0; } </style> ```

🧪 Testing Your Compliance

Automated Testing in CI/CD

```bash # Install Pa11y npm install -g pa11y

# Run accessibility test pa11y https://your-website.com

# Run with WCAG 2.1 AA standard pa11y --standard WCAG2AA https://your-website.com ```

📋 EAA Compliance Roadmap

📝 The Accessibility Statement

Under the EAA, you must publish an accessibility statement. Here's what it needs:

⚖️ Penalties: What's at Stake?

Each EU member state sets its own penalties. Here's a sample:

Beyond fines, you risk: - Litigation from disability rights organizations - Reputational damage from public complaints - Lost customers who can't use your service - Market access denial in the EU

🚀 Quick Wins: Start Here

🎯 The Bottom Line

The European Accessibility Act isn't just about avoiding fines—it's about building products that everyone can use. The web was designed to be universal, and accessibility is how we keep that promise.

📚 Resources

• WCAG 2.1 Guidelines: w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref
• EN 301 549: etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/301500_301599/301549
• EAA Directive: eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/882
• WebAIM: webaim.org
• A11y Project: a11yproject.com

---

June 28, 2025 is coming fast. The time to act is now—not when you receive your first complaint.

Start with an audit. Fix the quick wins. Build accessibility into your development process. Your future users—and your legal team—will thank you.

Is your website EAA-ready? The clock is ticking.