What’s often missing is a clear explanation how it applies to UK businesses and what your organisation needs to do in order to achieve compliance. That’s exactly what we’re going to explain in this article.
Let’s start with an important statistic from the World Health Organization (WHO): over 1.3 billion people globally live with some form of disability. In Europe alone, this equates to approximately 87 million individuals. But, despite this significant statistic, digital pages remain inaccessible. The 2025 WebAIM Million report found that 96.3% of home pages still have detectable WCAG 2.1 failures.
There’s a clear rationale behind the EAA; it was created by the European Union to promote accessibility in digital services and reduce the barriers that millions of people with disabilities still face.
From the European Accessibility Act Directive (EU) 2019/882 own words: "The demand for accessible products and services is high and the number of persons with disabilities is projected to increase significantly. An environment where products and services are more accessible allows for a more inclusive society and facilitates independent living for persons with disabilities."
It officially came into effect on 28 June 2025, for all countries operating within the European Union. This doesn’t mean that it applies only to nations based in the EU, and we will explore that further down in this article.
The first step to understand if the European Accessibility Act applies to you in the UK is to check if your company provides any of the following products/services in Europe:
Before we move to exploring how the EAA works for UK-based businesses, an important fact is that non-compliance with its guidelines can result in legal actions or penalties. The specifics vary by jurisdiction, so it’s important to assess which national laws apply based on the countries where your digital product is offered or used. Analysing this will help determine how to prepare for the EAA.
In Germany, for example, there is a well-structured and formal approach to compliance, with clear expectations and dedicated bodies overseeing digital accessibility across sectors. Consumer groups, disability associations, and even competitors can trigger enforcement, with fines of up to €100,000 for non-compliance, according to the law firm TaylorWessing.
Italy, on the other hand, is in the process of strengthening its approach, and are incentivising companies to adjust to the Act gradually. According to TaylorWessing, Legislative Decree No. 82/2022 mirrors the EAA and works in coordination with the pre‑existing Stanca Law, overseen by AgID. Penalties can range from €5,000 to €40,000.
With the intention to embed accessibility into product development at an early stage, Sweden emphasises that focusing on inclusive design is something that needs to be started now. Sweden's Agency for Digital Government (DIGG) is responsible for implementing and overseeing accessibility early in digital service development to ensure compliance with the WCAG 2.1 AA standard.
If you’re looking for a full overview of the EAA's scope, timelines and obligations, see our EAA Compliance Guide.
Brexit raised many questions for UK companies providing services to the EU and the arrival of the European Accessibility Act has only added to the uncertainty. Here, we explain what it means for your business.
There is no legal obligation for the United Kingdom to transpose the European Accessibility Act into domestic law. Therefore, UK businesses that operate solely within the UK are not required to comply (though they must comply with some other accessibility focused legislation - more on that later). However, if a UK-based company sells products or services to customers in the EU (for example, through an e-commerce platform) then EAA compliance becomes mandatory.
As a general set of rules:
Essentially, if your business trades or operates in the EU in any way, EAA compliance is not optional.
There are, however, some notable exemptions to be aware of.
Microenterprises: Microenterprises (defined as businesses with fewer than 10 employees or an annual turnover below €2 million) are exempt from the European Accessibility Act, regardless of whether they are based in the UK or the EU. While these businesses are not legally required to comply, they are strongly encouraged to adopt accessible design practices. Doing so not only improves usability for all customers but also future-proofs the business against potential regulatory changes and demonstrates a commitment to inclusion.
Disproportionate burden: Businesses may also be exempt if they can prove that meeting accessibility requirements would impose a cost or effort that is clearly disproportionate to the benefits, relative to their size and resources. With no legal precedent available, it is difficult to say exactly what qualifies as “disproportionate burden” at this point; however, companies must demonstrate and document why compliance would be disproportionately costly or technically infeasible.
Fundamental alteration: The final exemption applies if making a product or service accessible would fundamentally change its core nature or functionality. Again, this claim must also be justified and documented.
To meet the EAA compliance, websites and digital services must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (often referred to as the POUR framework) for users with disabilities. This is achieved by adhering to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 Level AA) and EN 301 549 standards, which serve as the technical baseline for accessibility.
Businesses must provide information in ways that can be perceived and understood through more than one sense. That means offering content in multiple formats, such as text, audio, or visual elements, to support users with different needs. Instructions, product details, and customer support should all be available in accessible formats.
Websites, apps, and digital tools must be easy to navigate and operate, including for users who rely on keyboards, screen readers, or voice commands. Interfaces should follow consistent patterns and avoid time limits that can’t be extended or turned off.
Digital products and services also need to be compatible with commonly used assistive technologies. This includes screen readers, magnifiers, and speech recognition software. If your service doesn’t work well with these tools, it likely doesn’t meet EAA requirements.
If your business offers services like e-commerce, banking, ticket booking, or video streaming to EU-based users, the digital journey must be fully accessible. That includes everything from logging in and browsing to making payments and accessing support.
If this is the first time you come across the term POUR, we highly recommend reading our article What is POUR and Why is it Critical to WCAG Standards?.
It is also important to note that the United Kingdom itself has accessibility laws in place and that, even if you’re exempt from the EAA, being compliant with these regulations is not optional.
Key existing laws:
Equality Act 2010: This regulation requires reasonable adjustments to avoid discriminating against people with disabilities. It applies to all businesses within the UK.
Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018: As the name suggests, it applies exclusively to the public sector. It mandates that their websites and mobile apps meet accessibility standards aligned with WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
Knowing that EU, UK and other nations worldwide have regulations around digital accessibility is a hopeful fact, especially considering that the number of people with disability is increasing due in part to population ageing and an increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, according to the WHO.
In our blog, you can explore more about Digital Accessibility in the UK and other topics around digital inclusion.
Whilst legislative compliance is often seen as a primary motivation for meeting accessibility standards, digital accessibility isn't just about avoiding penalties; there are many benefits of an accessible website / digital product outside of purely legislative compliance.
As mentioned earlier, over 1.3 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. That alone is a compelling reason to prioritise digital accessibility, support initiatives that reduce the digital divide and enable independent access for all users of all abilities.
That being said, there are also a whole host of strategic advantages for businesses to consider when deciding to take action on digital inclusion. Here are some of the key benefits:
Being compliant with digital accessibility reduces the risk of legal challenges and costly settlements. The EAA is a new regulation, but if we look at the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), which has digital accessibility included since 1998, a recent survey has shown that over 2400 lawsuits were filed in 2024 in the US. (ADA Title III News & Insights)
There’s a mistake in thinking that digital accessibility supports only people with disabilities. The reality is that most of the practices related to web accessibility also improve user experience for all audiences. As PayPal notes, “Website accessibility can help improve conversion rates among all audiences.”
Well-structured content, labelled buttons, alt text, and other initiatives for accessibility, consequently, result in positive impact for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
“I love working with organisations who prioritise web accessibility because the technical building blocks for SEO growth are typically already in place.” - Darren McManus, SEO Consultant.
Globally, 1.6 billion people live with some form of disability (Global Economics of Disability, 2024). Ignoring accessibility means overlooking a significant market. In fact, the disposable income of people with disabilities in North America and Europe alone exceeds $2.6 trillion.
A company that invests in digital inclusion also demonstrates a commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. It shows social responsibility and sends a positive message about its values.
According to Certus Insights, 70% of consumers want to know how brands address social and environmental issues, and 46% actively consider a brand’s social responsibility when making purchasing decisions.
While the UK government is under no obligation to implement the EAA into domestic law, there remains a clear and ongoing focus on digital inclusion through national strategies and regulatory frameworks. Some of these initiatives include:
The UK’s Digital Inclusion Strategy: was created to promote digital inclusion even before mentioning websites. It focuses on promoting skills, connectivity and accessible services.
The National Disability Strategy (2021): this strategy outlines commitments to improving accessibility across many sectors.
The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation: an initiative to emphasise the role of responsible tech in reducing exclusion.
As we’ve already mentioned, compliance is a critical first step for organisations when it comes to closing the digital divide, but true digital inclusion goes far beyond meeting minimum requirements. National strategies and initiatives play a vital role in moving the conversation forward and supporting lasting change.
As UN Secretary-General António Guterres put it:
"Accessibility is not a privilege, it is a right. In our digital age, ensuring everyone can access online content is a moral imperative."
We developed our tool to focus on detection, analysis and guidance with the goal of redefining digital accessibility and inclusion with AI. Our tool helps you apply WCAG guidelines to gain and maintain compliance with accessibility laws (e.g., EAA, Equality Act 2010, ADA).
Some of the key features of our comprehensive platform are:
Our suite of tools will enable organisations to quickly, simply and effectively make themselves inclusive and accessible to everyone.
At Nexus Inclusion, digital inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is to move beyond digital accessibility and ensure that inclusion is considered at every step of the product development process from idea, design, development, testing, content management, product management and maintaining inclusion post go live.
It is important for us that the barriers of making something accessible and inclusive are broken down and that it is simply part of the overall steps that every company takes in releasing digital products to their customers. We focus on finding the best solution and not the problem.
And this is just the beginning. Founded by accessibility advocate Kyran O’Mahoney, our team brings together experts to solve real-world challenges.
Now that you are prepared to start your journey towards compliance with the European Accessibility Act in the UK, sign up to join our waiting list and be the first to know about our tool, training, and resources for teams building inclusive digital futures.
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