EU Website Accessibility Law 2025

The EU's website accessibility legal landscape in 2025 is defined by two active directives creating comprehensive coverage:

• Public sector (since 2018): The Web Accessibility Directive requires all government and public institution websites to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. This has been enforced for years with national monitoring programs
• Private sector (since June 2025): The European Accessibility Act now requires websites providing e-commerce, banking, transport, telecom, and e-book services to meet the same WCAG 2.1 AA standard

The combined effect is clear: in the EU in 2025, virtually every significant website is subject to legal accessibility requirements. Whether you operate a government portal or an online shop, WCAG 2.1 AA compliance is a legal obligation.

This represents a fundamental shift from the US model, where web accessibility law (primarily the ADA) is enforced reactively through litigation. The EU model uses proactive regulatory enforcement with defined technical standards and designated enforcement authorities.

EU website accessibility law requires conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA, as specified in the harmonized standard EN 301 549. In practical terms, your website must:

• Provide text alternatives: Every non-text element (images, icons, charts, video) must have a text alternative that conveys the same information. Decorative images must be marked as such
• Ensure keyboard accessibility: Every function available by mouse must also work via keyboard alone. There must be no keyboard traps, and focus must be visible and follow a logical order
• Maintain sufficient contrast: Body text requires a minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio against its background. Large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold) requires 3:1. UI components and graphical objects require 3:1
• Support assistive technologies: Proper semantic HTML, ARIA labels, landmark regions, and programmatically determinable structure (headings, lists, tables, form relationships)
• Provide input assistance: Form fields must have labels, errors must be identified and described, and suggestions must be provided when possible
• Support content reflow: Content must be usable at 400% zoom without horizontal scrolling (320px viewport width)

CompliScan's automated scanner checks for all of these requirements and more — testing against the full set of programmatically detectable WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.

With the EAA now active alongside the WAD, the legal consequences of website accessibility non-compliance in the EU are significant:

• Regulatory enforcement: National market surveillance authorities can inspect your website, order remediation, and impose fines. The EAA requires penalties to be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive
• Consumer complaints: EU consumers can file formal complaints about inaccessible websites with national authorities. A pattern of complaints triggers investigation
• Market restrictions: Non-compliant digital services can be ordered to restrict access or withdraw from specific EU markets until accessibility requirements are met
• Civil liability: Beyond regulatory enforcement, some member states allow individuals to bring civil claims for damages caused by inaccessible digital services
• Public procurement exclusion: Non-compliant businesses may be excluded from public procurement processes that require accessibility compliance

The enforcement landscape is still evolving as member states build their regulatory capacity for the EAA. However, early enforcement actions are already occurring in countries like Germany and France. Compliance now reduces future risk.

CompliScan is designed to help you meet EU website accessibility law requirements efficiently:

• Free compliance check: Scan any URL instantly against WCAG 2.1 AA — the standard required by both the WAD and EAA. Get a compliance score and detailed violation report in seconds
• AI fix generation: Every violation includes AI-generated code suggestions. Your developers get exact changes needed — no accessibility expertise required to implement the fixes
• Ongoing monitoring (Shield $49/mo): Weekly scans of up to 3 sites catch regressions before regulators do. Essential for websites that update content regularly
• Compliance documentation (Shield Pro $149/mo): Daily scans and PDF reports for up to 10 sites. Documentation ready for regulatory inquiries or internal compliance reviews
• Enterprise coverage (Agency $299/mo): Up to 50 sites with white-label reporting. For businesses operating across multiple EU markets or agencies managing client compliance

EU website accessibility law compliance is not optional in 2025. Start with a free scan to understand where your website stands, then implement a monitoring plan that keeps you continuously compliant.