EAA Regulations 2025: What Your Business Must Do Now

2–5 min read

The EAA Regulations Are Live. Is Your Business at Risk?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is no longer a future concern. As of June 28, 2025, it is now law across the EU. That means businesses offering digital products or services to EU users must meet strict accessibility requirements. Yet many companies are still unprepared.

If your website, app, or e-commerce platform doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549 standards, you could now face legal complaints, reputational damage, or exclusion from public contracts.

This guide will help you:

  • Understand what the EAA requires
  • Know who must comply (and who doesn't)
  • Identify accessibility issues quickly
  • Take immediate steps to improve your conformance

Let’s get you back on track.


What Are the EAA Regulations?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an EU directive designed to ensure that digital products and services are accessible to people with disabilities. It became enforceable law on June 28, 2025, and affects a wide range of sectors:

  • Websites and mobile apps
  • E-commerce platforms
  • Digital banking
  • E-books and media players
  • ATMs, self-service kiosks, and ticketing machines

The EAA builds on international standards, especially WCAG 2.1 AA and EN 301 549, which define what "accessible" means in practical, technical terms.


Who Must Comply (and Who’s Exempt)?

If your business operates in or sells to the EU, and offers digital products or services, you are likely required to comply.

Affected sectors include:

  • SaaS platforms and digital tools
  • Online retailers and marketplaces
  • Streaming and media services
  • Banks, telecoms, and public services

Exemptions:

  • Micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total under €2 million) may be exempt
  • However, even exempt businesses may face pressure from partners or customers to comply

Many public procurement processes now require accessibility conformance from vendors—even if you're a small tech company.


What Happens If You Don’t Comply?

Non-compliance with the EAA could result in:

  • Fines or legal complaints (varies by EU member state)
  • Loss of contracts, especially in the public sector
  • Damage to brand reputation and public trust
  • Increased legal risk from accessibility lawsuits

Beyond the legal risks, inaccessible products also limit your reach. You're turning away potential users, customers, and revenue.


How to Check If You’re Compliant

The fastest way to get a baseline is to scan your website with an automated tool like GetWCAG.com.

Our scanner checks your pages up to WCAG 2.2 AAA and highlights the most common violations:

  • Missing alt text on images
  • Poor color contrast
  • Inaccessible forms and buttons
  • Keyboard traps
  • Missing labels or landmarks

Once scanned, you can share the report—available as a downloadable PDF or via a secure link—with your dev, design, or compliance team to start fixing issues.


How to Fix Accessibility Issues (Fast)

Here’s what to prioritize:

  • Fix critical blockers (e.g. keyboard traps, missing labels)
  • Improve contrast and text readability
  • Add alt text to all meaningful images
  • Ensure your site can be navigated by keyboard
  • Provide clear, structured headings and ARIA roles

Avoid relying on overlays that manipulate the DOM too aggressively—for example, those that rewrite content structures or inject ARIA attributes dynamically. These may provide a temporary appearance of accessibility but often conflict with assistive technologies like screen readers.. These may provide a temporary appearance of accessibility but often break real assistive technologies.


Note: Note: GetWCAG offers an accessibility widget that is lightweight and styling-only. It allows users to adjust contrast, font size, or switch to dark mode—without interfering with screen reader behavior or modifying the structure of your content. This widget is not a replacement for fixing code-level accessibility issues.. It allows users to adjust contrast, font size, or switch to dark mode—without interfering with how screen readers or assistive tech interpret your content.


Why EAA Compliance Is Good Business

Accessibility isn't just a legal box to tick. It's a growth lever:

  • Improves SEO: WCAG-compliant sites are better structured for search engines
  • Expands your audience: 1 in 5 people in the EU live with a disability
  • Builds trust: Customers and partners notice when you take inclusion seriously

For example, a UK retailer who remediated their checkout process for WCAG compliance saw a 15% increase in completed purchases within three months.

  • Improves SEO: WCAG-compliant sites are better structured for search engines
  • Expands your audience: 1 in 5 people in the EU live with a disability
  • Builds trust: Customers and partners notice when you take inclusion seriously

Accessible products also reduce support costs and create better experiences for all users, not just those with disabilities.


Next Steps: Scan, Share, Fix, Monitor

You're not too late—but the window for inaction is closed.

  • Scan your site with GetWCAG.com
  • Share the report with your internal team
  • Fix the issues using prioritized recommendations
  • Monitor your compliance regularly as part of QA or CI/CD

Accessibility is a journey, but it starts with one clear step: visibility.


Final Thoughts

The EAA regulations are here. Businesses that act now will avoid risk—and stand out.

With the right tools, you don’t need to be an expert. Just start scanning, fixing, and building a more inclusive experience for your users today.

Visit GetWCAG.com to get started.