EAA WCAG 2.1 Compliance

The relationship between the EAA and WCAG is straightforward but important to understand:

• EAA (Directive 2019/882): The EU law that requires accessible products and services. It defines what must be accessible but does not specify technical details
• EN 301 549: The European harmonized standard that provides the technical specifications. Meeting EN 301 549 creates a presumption of conformity with the EAA
• WCAG 2.1 AA: The W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, incorporated into EN 301 549 Chapter 9 as the web content accessibility requirements

In practice, this means: if your website meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA, you satisfy the web content portion of the EAA's accessibility requirements. CompliScan tests against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria directly, providing results that map to your EAA compliance obligations.

Note that EN 301 549 also covers non-web aspects (native apps, documents, hardware) that require separate evaluation beyond web scanning.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA includes 50 success criteria across four principles. Here is a breakdown of what CompliScan evaluates:

• Perceivable (18 criteria): Text alternatives (1.1.1), time-based media alternatives (1.2.x), adaptable content (1.3.x), and distinguishable presentation including contrast (1.4.x). WCAG 2.1 added criteria for text spacing (1.4.12), content on hover/focus (1.4.13), and reflow (1.4.10)
• Operable (17 criteria): Keyboard accessible (2.1.x), enough time (2.2.x), seizure-safe (2.3.x), navigable (2.4.x), and input modalities (2.5.x). WCAG 2.1 added pointer cancellation (2.5.2), label in name (2.5.3), and motion actuation (2.5.4)
• Understandable (8 criteria): Readable text (3.1.x), predictable UI (3.2.x), and input assistance (3.3.x) including error identification, labels, and error prevention
• Robust (7 criteria): Compatible with assistive technologies (4.1.x) including parsing, name/role/value, and status messages (4.1.3, added in WCAG 2.1)

Automated tools like CompliScan can test approximately 30-40% of these criteria programmatically. The remaining criteria require human judgment — for example, whether an image's alt text is meaningful or whether content reading order makes sense.

A common question is whether the EAA requires WCAG 2.1 or the newer WCAG 2.2 (published October 2023). The answer depends on timing and member state implementation:

• Current requirement: WCAG 2.1 AA. The EAA and EN 301 549 reference WCAG 2.1. This is the legally mandated baseline as of the June 2025 enforcement date
• EN 301 549 updates: The European standard is periodically updated. Future revisions may incorporate WCAG 2.2 criteria, at which point those would become part of the legal requirement
• Forward-looking approach: WCAG 2.2 adds 9 new AA criteria to WCAG 2.1 (focus appearance, dragging, consistent help, etc.). Meeting WCAG 2.2 AA provides a buffer against future standard updates
• Backward compatibility: WCAG 2.2 is backward-compatible with 2.1 — meeting 2.2 automatically satisfies 2.1. The reverse is not true

CompliScan scans against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria, with coverage expanding to include WCAG 2.2 criteria. For maximum future-proofing, address all issues CompliScan identifies and consider WCAG 2.2 criteria in your manual testing program.

A practical approach to achieving WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for the EAA:

• Automated scan first: Run a free CompliScan scan to identify programmatically detectable violations. This covers contrast issues, missing alt text, form label problems, keyboard traps, and ARIA errors
• Apply AI-generated fixes: CompliScan generates specific code changes for each violation. Review and implement these fixes — they address the exact issues found on your pages
• Manual testing: Supplement automated scanning with manual keyboard navigation testing, screen reader testing (NVDA, VoiceOver, JAWS), and cognitive walkthrough of key user journeys
• Continuous monitoring: Accessibility regresses with every content update. CompliScan Shield ($49/mo) runs weekly scans; Shield Pro ($149/mo) runs daily scans with PDF reports

For comprehensive EAA compliance, combine CompliScan's automated scanning with manual accessibility audits. The Agency plan ($299/mo) supports up to 50 sites for organizations with complex digital portfolios.