Are you ready for the European accessibility act?

From 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act requires a wide range of products and services in the EU to be accessible to persons with disabilities, harmonising rules across member states and simplifying cross-border compliance. However, the recent Digital Trust Index shows over 90% of European homepages currently fail basic accessibility checks, underscoring the urgent need for organisations to audit existing offerings and begin remediation now. A proactive approach not only avoids legal risks but also expands market reach and enhances brand reputation.

In a Nutshell

From 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) requires that a range of products and services sold or offered in the EU be accessible to persons with disabilities. This harmonises national rules, reduces barriers, and opens markets for businesses that proactively comply.

What Is the EAA?

The EAA (Directive (EU) 2019/882) sets functional accessibility requirements—perceivable, operable, understandable, robust—for various goods and services without prescribing a single technical solution, but referring to harmonised standards such as EN 301 549 for ICT. It applies to economic operators offering in-scope items in the EU market, regardless of origin.

Who’s Affected and What’s In Scope

In-scope products/services include:

• Digital interfaces (websites, mobile apps, e-commerce platforms).
• Consumer electronics (smartphones, computers, TVs).
• Self-service terminals (ATMs, ticketing machines).
• Telephony and audiovisual media equipment/services.
• E-books, digital publications.

Belgium Highlights

Belgium’s transposition takes effect on 28 June 2025. Key points include:

• Scope & Exemptions: Companies with fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet ≤ €2 million are exempt until 28 June 2030; from then on, they must comply like others.
• Transitional Arrangements: Legacy products/services placed on the market before 28 June 2025 may benefit from extended transition (e.g., up to economic end-of-life or specified periods).
• Enforcement: Belgian authorities will monitor compliance; non-compliance risks administrative sanctions. Publishing an accessibility statement (status, issues, contact) is recommended.

The Netherlands Highlights

Dutch law transposes the EAA effective 28 June 2025, aligning with EN 301 549 and national decrees. Key points include:

• Scope & Exemptions: Similar microenterprise exemption until 28 June 2030; B2B services often excluded but verify specifics.
• Standards & Guidance: Refer to EN 301 549 (aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA) and national checklists on business.gov.nl; ACM or designated bodies oversee enforcement.
• Localisation: Provide accessibility statements, user support, and documentation in Dutch (and other relevant languages for cross-border offerings).

Accessibility Statement as First Win

An accessibility statement is a public declaration of your commitment to accessibility and a roadmap for improvements. As an easy win, have your marketing team draft it in clear, friendly language reflecting your company vision rather than using dense legalese. For example:

• Example 1: “At Coding Mammoth, we believe technology should be usable by everyone. We are working to improve our website’s accessibility, and welcome feedback to help us learn and adapt.”
• Example 2: “Our mission is inclusive innovation. If you encounter any accessibility issues here, please let us know so we can fix them quickly.”

• Use a positive tone aligned with brand voice and values.
• State current status, known limitations, and planned updates.
• Provide a clear feedback channel (email or form) and expected response timeframe.
• Publish in local languages if you serve different regions.
• Update regularly and mention review dates to show progress.

A template can be found at W3.org. The most important aspect is being transparent, inform the user about the current status, and roadmap to be compliant. See the EU Accessibility Statement or Gov UK Statement as examples.
The statement should also be linked from every page, so the footer is a great location.

First Steps to Compliance

1. Set Up Governance: Assign an accessibility lead and cross-functional team (product, legal, UX, development, QA, support).
2. Audit & Gap Analysis: Inventory all in-scope digital and physical assets; use automated tools plus manual testing against EN 301 549/WCAG benchmarks; involve users with disabilities for real-world feedback.
3. Define Policy & Roadmap: Choose applicable standards (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA via EN 301 549); prioritise fixes by risk/impact; set milestones before 28 June 2025 (and 2030 for microenterprises).
4. Integrate Accessibility: Train teams on accessible design (semantic markup, keyboard navigation, colour contrast, ARIA); embed checks in development workflows (linting, code reviews, CI tests).
5. Update Support & Documentation: Ensure user manuals, help content, and support channels (e.g., call centres, chat) are accessible (e.g., tagged PDFs, plain-text alternatives).
6. Revise Procurement: Add accessibility clauses in RFPs and vendor contracts; require evidence of compliance from suppliers.
7. Publish and Maintain: Publish clear accessibility statements in local languages; invite feedback and report progress.

Quick Checklist

• Appoint accessibility lead and team
• Inventory in-scope products/services
• Conduct EN 301 549/WCAG audit with real users
• Develop remediation roadmap with clear deadlines
• Train teams and embed testing in workflows
• Update procurement processes and vendor requirements
• Publish accessibility statements and set feedback loops
• Plan ongoing monitoring and updates

Responsibilities of Web Agencies

While website owners remain legally liable for accessibility compliance under the EAA, web agencies and site builders play a crucial advisory role. Agencies should proactively inform clients about EAA requirements and embed accessibility in services:

• Advise on accessibility from project kickoff: include audits and accessible design in proposals.
• Use accessible frameworks and templates: ensure delivered sites meet EN 301 549 / WCAG benchmarks.
• Offer testing services: automated checks, manual testing, screen-reader reviews, user testing with disabilities.
• Provide guidance on accessibility statements: help clients draft friendly, vision-aligned statements.
• Include accessibility clauses in contracts: define responsibilities for remediation and ongoing maintenance.
• Train internal teams: keep developers and designers updated on best practices and evolving standards.
• Monitor and support: offer periodic reviews and updates, notifying clients of changes in standards or regulations.

How to Test Your Website’s Accessibility

Testing accessibility involves both automated checks and human evaluation. Automated tools provide a quick overview but cannot catch all problems. For example, the Belgian government’s initial check tool: BOSA Accessibility Check, and services like Accessibility Checker, and visual tools such as WAVE by WebAIM can identify obvious issues. Always complement these with manual reviews and user testing with persons with disabilities. For a comprehensive list of evaluation software, see W3C Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools List. Tips:

• Run automated audits on key pages: check contrast, missing alt text, heading structure.
• Manually navigate with keyboard only to verify operability.
• Test with screen readers (e.g. NVDA, VoiceOver) to assess content flow and ARIA support.
• Involve real users with disabilities for scenario-based testing.
• Document findings and track fixes in your issue tracker or backlog.
• Repeat testing after updates to ensure ongoing compliance.

Lighthouse is an open-source tool from Google that audits web pages for performance, accessibility, SEO, and other best practices. It evaluates accessibility by identifying issues—such as insufficient color contrast or missing alt text—and provides actionable recommendations to help your site align with recognized standards. Keep in mind that a 100% accessibility score in Lighthouse doesn’t guarantee full compliance with every guideline, but it’s a solid starting point. Our website monitoring tool, Semonto, continuously tracks your sites’ Lighthouse scores and alerts you to regressions. Learn more about how Semonto supports ongoing accessibility oversight in this blog post: How Semonto Helps You Meet Website Accessibility Guidelines.

Digital Trust Index Insights

According to the Digital Trust Index 2025 by Craftzing, 93% of European websites fail basic accessibility requirements, indicating that most organisations remain unprepared for the European Accessibility Act effective 28 June 2025. Common issues include low colour contrast, missing alt text, poor labels for links and buttons, and incorrect language settings. Country-level data show Belgium has slight improvement but still faces major gaps. The findings underscore urgency: businesses must act swiftly to audit and remediate accessibility issues before enforcement.

Conclusion & Call to Action

With the EAA live from 28 June 2025, organisations in Belgium, the Netherlands, and across the EU should act now. Begin audits, set policies, train teams, and engage users with disabilities to ensure accessible offerings. Early compliance mitigates legal risk, expands market reach, and enhances reputation. Share this guidance to help peers prepare effectively, and start monitoring your website.