Every EU accessibility law, in one place
The European Accessibility Act, the WCAG guidelines it points at, the EN 301 549 standard it references, and the national transpositions that put it into force across the 27 EU member states. Agencies need to understand all four layers to prepare client sites.
Directive, standard, and guidelines — how they stack
The EAA is the law. EN 301 549 is the technical standard that satisfies the law. WCAG is the set of guidelines that EN 301 549 points at for web content. Understand all three and enforcement stops being a mystery.
European Accessibility Act
The EU-wide directive that harmonizes accessibility requirements for consumer-facing digital products and services. Enforcement began June 28, 2025.
EN 301 549
The technical standard the EAA references. For websites, clause 9 maps directly to WCAG 2.1 Level AA plus additional web-content provisions.
WCAG 2.2
Adds 9 new success criteria beyond WCAG 2.1 — focus visibility, target size, dragging alternatives, accessible authentication. Expected in future EN 301 549 updates.
Same directive, different national laws
Each EU member state transposed Directive 2019/882 into its own legislation. The underlying technical standard (WCAG 2.1 AA via EN 301 549) is identical across all 27 countries — but enforcement authorities, penalties, and deadlines vary.
BFSG
Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz
Strong market-surveillance authorities under BMAS. Enforcement active since June 28, 2025.
View country pageRGAA 4.1 · Article 47
Loi 2005-102 + Ordonnance 2023-859
Two-track framework: RGAA for public-sector & large private, EAA transposition for private e-commerce. DGCCRF enforces.
View country pageLey 11/2023
Ley 11/2023 + Real Decreto 193/2023
Spanish EAA transposition. UNE-EN 301 549 is the technical standard. Enforcement coordinated through OACIAP.
View country pageLegea 232/2022
Law 232/2022
Transposes the EAA through Romanian domestic law. Applies to digital services placed on the Romanian market.
View country pageD.Lgs. 82/2022
Decreto Legislativo 82/2022 + Legge Stanca 4/2004
Italian EAA transposition layered on the Stanca Law. AgID supervises public sector; AGCOM and consumer authorities handle private services.
View country pageBesluit DT + EAA
Besluit digitale toegankelijkheid + EAA-derived obligations
Dual track — Logius monitors public bodies, ACM and sector regulators handle private services under EAA-derived rules.
View country pageS.I. 636/2023
European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023
Irish EAA transposition. CCPC leads market surveillance; ComReg handles telecom; Central Bank covers banking.
View country page- Belgium · Law of 19 July 2023
- Austria · Barrierefreiheitsgesetz (BaFG)
- Poland · Ustawa o dostępności cyfrowej + EAA
- Portugal · Decreto-Lei 83/2018 + EAA transposition
- Sweden · Lag om tillgänglighet (DOSL) + EAA
- Denmark · Webtilgængelighedsloven + EAA
The underlying technical standard (WCAG 2.1 AA via EN 301 549) is harmonized across all 27 EU member states. Our audits apply regardless of which national transposition your client falls under.
Enforcement is already happening
EAA is in force
Enforcement of the European Accessibility Act began June 28, 2025. Services placed on the EU market from that date must comply. Older services have until June 28, 2030 — but complaints can trigger investigations at any time.
Complaint-driven cases
Most investigations start with a consumer or disability advocacy complaint, not a proactive audit sweep. A single credible complaint is enough. Agencies ignoring accessibility expose clients to reputational and financial risk.
Technical bar is WCAG 2.1 AA
EN 301 549 clause 9 points at WCAG 2.1 AA for web content. That is the concrete pass/fail bar regulators, disability advocates, and courts use. Anything else (overlays, badges) does not change the underlying HTML.
See how your client sites stack up
Run a free WCAG 2.1 AA scan on any client site. Get a prioritized report with evidence, journey impact, and a recommended remediation path — emailed within 24 hours.