The European Accessibility Act, which applies to companies offering products and services within the European Union, will come into force in the summer of 2025. I’ve collected the key points you should know about this regulation.

Website accessibility

What is this regulation?

This is an EU law, the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which requires that certain products and services must be accessible to everyone, especially people with disabilities.

From when is it mandatory?

From 28 June 2025. From this date, all affected new products and services must be offered in an accessible way.

What is its purpose?

  • To ensure that in the digital world (e.g. websites, mobile apps, e-commerce) and in the physical world (e.g. machines, customer service points) there are no barriers for people with disabilities.
  • To introduce harmonised rules on accessibility across the EU.
  • To make planning easier for companies, so they don’t have to comply with different requirements in each country.

Who does it apply to?

To businesses, public institutions and service providers that offer, for example:

  • Websites and mobile applications
  • E-commerce platforms (e.g. online shops)
  • Banking services such as ATMs (cash machines)
  • Public transport ticket machines
  • E-books and e-readers
  • Electronic communications devices such as smartphones, TVs, media players

What does “accessible” mean in this context?

It means that the service or product is designed in such a way that every person, including people with disabilities, can use it independently. Accessibility must be treated as a basic requirement, not as an extra feature.

Users with visual impairments (blind and low-vision users):

  • Websites and mobile apps must work with screenreader software (e.g. text and buttons can be read aloud by the software).
  • Images must have alternative (alt) text so that the screenreader can describe what is shown.
  • Colour must not be the only way to convey information (e.g. it is not enough if something is only red or green).
  • Text must have sufficient contrast against the background.
  • The website or app must be fully navigable with a keyboard, without requiring a mouse.

Users with hearing impairments (deaf and hard of hearing users):

  • Videos must have captions (not only auto-generated, but accurate ones).
  • Customer service should offer at least one written communication channel (e.g. chat, e-mail, SMS).
  • If the system uses sound signals (e.g. a beep when an error occurs), there must also be a visual feedback (e.g. a red border, a written error message).

Users with physical or motor impairments:

  • Online interfaces should not require complex mouse movements, drag-and-drop interactions, or tiny click targets.
  • Buttons should be larger and clearly separated.
  • It must be possible to use the interface with a keyboard or alternative input devices (e.g. switch devices, joysticks).
  • For machines (e.g. ticket machines, ATMs), screens, buttons and other controls must be placed at heights that can also be reached from a wheelchair.

Users with intellectual or cognitive disabilities:

  • Language should be simple and clear, avoiding overly complex or legalistic wording.
  • Visual feedback such as icons, colours and sounds is helpful.
  • There should be clear instructions on how to correct errors, for example if a user enters data in the wrong format (e.g. postcode or e-mail address).

Are there any exceptions?

Yes. Small businesses (with fewer than 10 employees and low annual turnover) may be exempt from certain obligations, but the rules always apply in full to state and municipal organisations.

What do you need to pay attention to in practice?

Under the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming into force in 2025, websites and mobile applications must comply with the WCAG 2.1 AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, Level AA) standard.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 is an internationally recognised standard developed by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). The Act requires compliance with Level AA, which is the middle level of the three (A, AA, AAA).

What does WCAG 2.1 AA mean for a website?

For a website, compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA means meeting a number of specific requirements. These are grouped under four main principles: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.

Below I’ve summarised the most important practical requirements for Level AA:

1. Perceivable – all users can perceive the information

Images and media

  • Every non-decorative image has an alt attribute.
  • Decorative images have an empty alt (alt="") or are added as background images.
  • Videos provide captions.
  • Audio-only content has a text transcript.

Colour and contrast

  • The contrast ratio between text and background is at least 4.5:1.
  • Information is not conveyed by colour alone (e.g. error messages are not indicated only by red colour).

Layout and zoom

  • The page remains usable at 200% zoom without horizontal scrolling.
  • The logical reading order of content matches the underlying HTML structure.

2. Operable – all functions can be used with a keyboard

Navigation

  • All functionality on the page is available using only a keyboard (e.g. Tab, Enter).
  • The focus state is clearly visible when an element is active.
  • There are no parts of the interface where focus gets trapped (no keyboard traps).

Links and buttons

  • Link text is meaningful on its own (e.g. “Learn more about our services”).
  • All buttons and icons have clear text labels or ARIA labels.

Time and motion

  • There are no automatic timed changes that users cannot pause or stop.
  • No rapidly flashing or distracting elements (flashing faster than 3 Hz should be avoided).

3. Understandable – the content and behaviour of the site are easy to understand

Content and language

  • The main language of the page is set in the HTML.
  • If there is content in another language, it is marked using the appropriate lang attribute.

Forms

  • Every form field has a clear label (e.g. “Email address”).
  • Form errors are clearly indicated with understandable error messages.
  • When input is invalid, users are shown how to correct it (e.g. the required format).

Navigation and behaviour

  • Repeated navigation elements appear consistently on all pages.
  • The behaviour of the site is predictable; no unexpected actions occur (e.g. automatic redirects after a click).

4. Robust – the website works well with different devices and assistive technologies

Code quality

  • The HTML code is syntactically correct and valid (for example, it can be checked at validator.w3.org).
  • Form elements are correctly labelled with .
  • ARIA attributes (such as aria-label, aria-expanded) are used correctly.
  • The site works well with screenreaders (e.g. NVDA, VoiceOver).

Complete list of WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA criteria

Level A includes 25 success criteria, and Level AA adds another 20 (including all A-level criteria). The list below therefore covers the full set of requirements for both levels.

Criterion number: 1.1.1
Level: A
Name: Non-text content
Description: Provide meaningful alternative text (alt text) for images, icons and other non-text elements so that screenreaders can interpret them.

Criterion number: 1.2.1
Level: A
Name: Audio-only and video-only content
Description: If content is only audio or only video (e.g. an audio recording or image-only slideshow), provide an alternative text or visual solution.

Criterion number: 1.2.2
Level: A
Name: Captions for pre-recorded audio
Description: Provide text captions for pre-recorded videos that contain spoken content.

Criterion number: 1.2.3
Level: A
Name: Audio description or media alternative
Description: Provide audio description or a text alternative for visual information in videos when it is needed to understand the content.

Criterion number: 1.3.1
Level: A
Name: Info and relationships
Description: Content must be logically structured (e.g. correct heading hierarchy, proper table and list markup) so assistive technologies can interpret it.

Criterion number: 1.3.2
Level: A
Name: Meaningful sequence
Description: Content must not lose its meaning when its presentation changes (for example if styles or layout are modified).

Criterion number: 1.4.1
Level: A
Name: Use of colour
Description: Colour alone must not be the only way to convey information (e.g. an error status must not be indicated only in red).

Criterion number: 1.4.2
Level: A
Name: Audio control / text size
Description: Users must be able to control audio playback or adjust text size without losing content or functionality.

Criterion number: 2.1.1
Level: A
Name: Keyboard
Description: All functionality of the content must be operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for keystrokes.

Criterion number: 2.1.2
Level: A
Name: No keyboard trap
Description: Keyboard focus must not get stuck in any component; users must be able to move focus away using keyboard only.

Criterion number: 2.2.1
Level: A
Name: Timing adjustable
Description: Users must be able to turn off, adjust or extend any time limits set on the page.

Criterion number: 2.2.2
Level: A
Name: Pause, stop, hide (flashing content)
Description: Content must not flash more than three times per second to avoid triggering seizures.

Criterion number: 2.3.1
Level: A
Name: Seizures
Description: The page must not use flashing patterns or colours that could provoke epileptic seizures.

Criterion number: 2.4.1
Level: A
Name: Bypass blocks
Description: Provide a way to skip repeated blocks of content (e.g. "Skip to main content" link).

Criterion number: 2.4.3
Level: A
Name: Focus order
Description: When navigating by keyboard, focus must move in a logical, predictable order.

Criterion number: 2.4.4
Level: A
Name: Link purpose (in context)
Description: The purpose of each link can be determined from its link text alone or from the link text together with its context.

Criterion number: 3.1.1
Level: A
Name: Language of page
Description: The default human language of the web page is identified in the HTML code (e.g.

).

Criterion number: 3.2.1
Level: A
Name: On focus
Description: Components do not initiate a change of context when they receive focus.

Criterion number: 3.2.2
Level: A
Name: On input
Description: Changing the setting of any user interface component does not automatically cause a change of context (e.g. submitting a form) without warning.

Criterion number: 3.3.1
Level: A
Name: Error identification
Description: If an input error is automatically detected, the item in error is identified and the error is described to the user in text.

Criterion number: 3.3.2
Level: A
Name: Labels or instructions
Description: Labels or instructions are provided when content requires user input.

Criterion number: 4.1.1
Level: A
Name: Parsing
Description: Elements must be used according to specification so that user agents and assistive technologies can reliably interpret them.

Criterion number: 4.1.2
Level: A
Name: Name, role, value
Description: For all user interface components the name, role and value can be programmatically determined (e.g. for screenreaders).

Criterion number: 1.2.4
Level: AA
Name: Captions (live)
Description: Provide captions for live audio content in synchronised media.

Criterion number: 1.2.5
Level: AA
Name: Audio description (pre-recorded)
Description: Provide audio description for pre-recorded video content when needed to understand important visual details.

Criterion number: 1.3.4
Level: AA
Name: Orientation
Description: Content does not restrict its view and operation to a single display orientation, such as portrait or landscape.

Criterion number: 1.3.5
Level: AA
Name: Identify input purpose
Description: The purpose of form input fields is programmatically determinable (e.g. by using autocomplete and inputmode attributes) so that browsers and assistive tools can interpret them.

Criterion number: 1.4.3
Level: AA
Name: Contrast (minimum)
Description: The visual presentation of text and images of text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.

Criterion number: 1.4.4
Level: AA
Name: Resize text
Description: Text can be resized up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality and without the need for horizontal scrolling.

Criterion number: 1.4.5
Level: AA
Name: Images of text
Description: Text is not presented only as part of an image; where images of text are used, a text alternative is provided.

Criterion number: 1.4.10
Level: AA
Name: Reflow
Description: Content can be presented without loss of information or functionality, and without requiring scrolling in two dimensions at 320 CSS pixels width (mobile view).

Criterion number: 1.4.11
Level: AA
Name: Non-text contrast
Description: Visual information required to identify user interface components (e.g. buttons, icons, focus indicators) has a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against adjacent colours.

Criterion number: 1.4.12
Level: AA
Name: Text spacing
Description: No loss of content or functionality occurs when users override text spacing and line height to certain values.

Criterion number: 1.4.13
Level: AA
Name: Content on hover or focus
Description: Content that appears on hover or focus remains visible while the pointer or focus is over it and can be dismissed without moving pointer or focus.

Criterion number: 2.4.5
Level: AA
Name: Multiple ways
Description: More than one way is available to locate a web page within a set of web pages (e.g. navigation menu, search, sitemap).

Criterion number: 2.4.6
Level: AA
Name: Headings and labels
Description: Headings and labels describe topic or purpose and follow a clear structure (H1, H2, etc.).

Criterion number: 2.4.7
Level: AA
Name: Focus visible
Description: Any keyboard-operable user interface has a visible focus indicator.

Criterion number: 3.1.2
Level: AA
Name: Language of parts
Description: When a passage or phrase is in a different language than the main page language, it is identified using the appropriate lang attribute.

Criterion number: 3.2.3
Level: AA
Name: Consistent navigation
Description: Navigational mechanisms that are repeated on multiple pages occur in the same relative order each time.

Criterion number: 3.2.4
Level: AA
Name: Consistent identification
Description: Components that have the same functionality are identified consistently.

Criterion number: 3.3.3
Level: AA
Name: Error suggestion
Description: If an input error is detected and suggestions for correction are known, they are provided to the user.

Criterion number: 3.3.4
Level: AA
Name: Error prevention (legal, financial, data)
Description: For forms involving legal commitments or financial transactions, users can review, confirm and correct information before final submission.

Criterion number: 4.1.3
Level: AA
Name: Status messages
Description: Status messages (e.g. dropdown expanded, success or error messages) are programmatically determinable through role or properties so assistive technologies can present them to users.

Accessibility is not just a legal requirement, but also a deliberate, long-term investment. It gives companies the opportunity to strengthen their market position, increase brand credibility and build a more open and responsible image. The Usernet web development team supports its clients with accessibility audits and in making their digital products accessible.