EAA
The European Accessibility Act is Directive (EU) 2019/882. It is the European rule that affects people who sell online the most.
About the rule
- Type
- European Union directive
- Date of the rule
- 17 April 2019
- Publication
- Official Journal of the European Union L 151, 7 June 2019
- Applies from
- 28 June 2025
- Official source
- EUR-Lex, Directive (EU) 2019/882
What it says, in broad terms
It sets common accessibility requirements for certain products and services across the European Union. Each country transposes it into its own law; in Spain, through Law 11/2023.
Among the services it includes are e-commerce services, with exceptions for microenterprises.
The four principles of web accessibility
WCAG, the technical reference we measure against, groups its criteria into four principles.
Perceivable
Visitors can perceive the information by sight, hearing or touch. For example, alternative text on product photos or enough contrast on buttons.
Operable
Everything can be used with a keyboard and without unfair time limits, and controls are big enough to press.
Understandable
Text reads well, the site behaves as expected and form errors say what happened and how to fix it.
Robust
The code is interpreted correctly by different browsers and by assistive technologies such as screen readers.
Aims of the directive
This is what the directive aims for according to its text.
Remove barriers
That people with disabilities can use the products and services it includes.
Align requirements
That requirements are the same in the Member States, so a product or service can move through the internal market without changing rules.
What we measure
- Text contrast: at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (WCAG 2.2, criterion 1.4.3). Method: an automatic check in the browser, with the value and its threshold.
- Alternative text, form labels, keyboard and structure, with the same partial coverage.
What we don't measure
- Whether the directive and the law that transposes it apply to your company.
- Whether your shop is a microenterprise for these purposes.
- The accessibility information the rule asks companies for, if it asks for any.
Pending review by an adviser or lawyer
We could not confirm this against the official source, or it depends on your case. Don't take it as valid until someone has reviewed it.
- Whether a specific technical standard, and in which version, is taken as proof that your website is accessible.
- Transitional periods for contracts that predate the date of application.
- Penalties and supervision in Spain. We don't summarise them here.
Open the official source. Page written on 1 November 2026.
Other rules you may have heard of
Each one answers a different question. The pages complement each other.
Law 11/2023
The Spanish law that transposes the European directive on the accessibility of products and services. Here is what it says in broad terms and what we can measure on an online shop.
See the page
RD 1112/2018
The Spanish royal decree on the accessibility of public sector websites and mobile apps. It is the rule most often mixed up with the ones for online shops.
See the page
WCAG
The W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. They are not a law: they are the technical reference we measure against.
See the page
ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act is a United States law. It only matters to you if you sell or provide a service there, and it is a subject for a lawyer.
See the page
EN 301 549
The European standard for the accessibility requirements of ICT products and services. It is technical and voluntary on its own, but other rules take it as a reference.
See the page
Start by measuring your shop.
The automatic audit measures what can be measured from the outside and tells you what is left for your adviser or lawyer.