Big changes in e-commerce: The Web Accessibility Directive will come into force in less than a year
25.9.2024Less than a year from now, the European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882) will come into force. The date from which all new online projects and products must meet the requirements arising from the EAA is 28 June 2025. Thanks to this law, the lives of more than 87 million people will be made easier. If, however, you do not meet the requirements, you will have considerable problems with the relevant authorities. So, what is going to change and who will this change affect?
Accessibility is one of the key factors for users when browsing websites and even more so those with disabilities.
This topic began being addressed in the European Union a few years ago, and clear requirements in the framework of a simplified approach were gradually formulated within the entire digital environment.
Two dates are key for you:
- 28 June 2025: From this date, all NEW online products covered by the EAA must meet the requirements.
- 28 June 2030: All CURRENTLY EXISTING online products must fully comply with the EAA by this date, which gives businesses sufficient time to gradually adapt.
Digital without restrictions since 2019
In 2019, the European Union adopted the European Accessibility Act (EAA). Its aim is to ensure that all EU citizens have access to digital products and services without any disadvantages.
EU Member States took on the obligation to transform this act into national legislation by June 2022. Nevertheless, some countries have still not completed this process, which shows the different pace of implementation between individual states.
What does the EAA cover?
The EAA relates to a wide range of products and services, including:
The WCAG informs you about mandatory standards
The WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) comprises international standards that determine how websites should be designed in order to be accessible to the widest possible range of people, including people with disabilities.
These guidelines improve accessibility for people with different types of disabilities, such as:
- visual,
- auditory,
- motor,
- cognitive disorders.
OpiTip: In this article you will read about various tools which may help you improve the accessibility of your website for visually impaired visitors.
The WCAG has several versions, with the most recent being WCAG 2.1, which includes various principles and criteria for accessibility, divided into three levels of success: A, AA and AAA, with AAA being the highest level of compliance.
4 fundamental principles of the WCAG
The principles ensure that websites are accessible to the widest possible group of people, regardless of their abilities or limitations.
Principle | What does it mean? | Example |
| Perceivability | Content must be accessible through different means (for example, alt texts) so that people with visual or hearing disabilities can use it. |
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| Operability | Users should be able to use the interface with just a keyboard, be able to pause or turn off moving content, and have access to efficient navigation mechanisms. |
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| Understandability | Content should be clearly structured, predictable and user-friendly. This includes the simple use of language, as well as technical solutions that do not require complicated interactions. |
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| Robustness | Content must be sufficiently robust to be compatible with a variety of current and future technologies, including assistive technologies (such as screen readers), regardless of the device or browser the user is using |
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OpiTip: We often address web accessibility at Opistarter workshops, where our SEO and UX consultants propose adequate solutions for better web accessibility.
What are the consequences of not following the new rules?
The European Accessibility Act introduces a robust mechanism to ensure compliance with accessibility requirements. It requires EU Member States to ensure:
- regular checks,
- inspections and resolving of complaints,
- adoption of the necessary corrective measures by companies,
- informing people of which authority they can contact with their complaint.
From June 28, 2025, customers will be able to file a complaint with national courts or competent authorities if services or products do not comply with the new rules. To verify compliance with web accessibility, you can use specialized tools and checkers:
| Tool | Functions | Why use this tool? | Type of tool | Price |
| Google Lighthouse | It provides comprehensive website audits in areas like performance, accessibility, SEO, and also suggests recommendations for fixes. |
| Extension | Free |
| Axe by Deque | This tool is primarily used by web developers. It identifies errors through source code and automatically suggests how to fix them. |
| Tool | Basic plan - free Premium plan - paid |
| Accessibility Checker | The tool provides a detailed report identifying accessibility issues. |
| Tool |
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| IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker | A tool designed for web developers. It performs comprehensive website audits and displays a list of identified errors upon completion. |
| Open source | Free |
| Total Validator | A tool for testing websites, validating HTML/CSS, checking links, and providing spell check reports. It offers a clear view of fundamental structural issues on the site. | A tool focused on developers, Available as a Chrome browser extension. | Tool |
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| Pa11r | An open-source supports automated testing and allows for continuous accessibility monitoring. It offers detailed reports on error tracking on the website. |
| Open source | Free |
| SortSite | It comprehensively evaluates websites, including broken links, HTML and CSS standards, as well as SEO and more. It checks websites against WCAG standards and provides insights into site accessibility for people with disabilities. |
| Paid software |
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| AccessiBe | An AI-powered tool that automates web accessibility by addressing issues according to WCAG and ADA standards. It ensures compliance by providing customizable accessibility adjustments for users with disabilities. The tool also identifies improvement areas for accessibility. |
| AI-powered software | Plans from 49 $ / month |
Challenges in fulfilling requirements
Among the challenges that follow from the directive and that the vast majority of businesses must face are the technical difficulties when updating existing systems and the potentially high investment of time and resources.
For many companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, these changes will require investments in the redesign of websites, self-service terminals, products or services.
Implementation of accessible technologies often requires specific expertise. Many companies may come across a shortage of the experts needed to properly implement the requirements of WCAG and other access standards.
Companies that use older IT systems or technological infrastructure may encounter problems when adapting them to the new accessibility standards. This may lead to expensive upgrades or transitions to new systemsy
Find out how the new standards will affect your company
Improving accessibility also brings many opportunities. You can reach new markets or improve brand reputation.
OpiTip: If you are looking for a way to improve the accessibility of your website, the experts at Accessible can help.
Compliance with measures following from the EAA is not only about meeting legal obligations; it is also about promoting inclusivity and improving the overall user experience. Companies that correctly implement these rules and do so on time will not only be competitive in the digital world, but also socially responsible.