UK companies who sell goods or services in Europe could face fines of up to £200,000 (€250,000) for failing to comply with the European Accessibility Act 2025, which comes into effect in June 2025.
Website and software development firm I-Finity is urging UK companies operating in the EU to take immediate action on website accessibility – not just to make them more accessible and avoid potential disastrous fines, but also as a way to reach new audiences and boost brand reputation.
What is the European Accessibility Act 2025?
The European Accessibility Act 2025 (EEA) – also known as Directive (EU) 2019/882 – aims to increase digital accessibility across the EU.
This means if your company operates in the EU, your website must all be fully accessible to all people, no matter what disabilities they may have.
The term covers a range of factors including:
- Physical and motor disabilities
- Colour blindness
- Vision issues
- Hard of hearing
- Dyslexia
- Autism
The EEA came into effect in April 2019 with the deadline for final implementation June 28, 2025. It impacts all businesses operating in the EU with more than 10 workers.
This includes UK businesses who sell goods to Europe, sell services in Europe or have offices or bases in Europe.
For public sector bodies, they have to also comply to ensure their websites and apps align with current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards and have to publish an accessibility statement. Even though the UK is no longer a member of the EU, this is still a legal requirement for public bodies.
Does it apply to you?
While the main target for the EEA is websites and apps, it also applies to a range of devices and interfaces, including:
- ATMs, ticketing, and check-in machines
- Smartphones
- TV equipment related to digital television services
- Telephony services and related equipment
- Services related to air, bus, rail, and waterborne passenger transport
- Banking services
- E-books
- E-commerce
However, microenterprises (businesses with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover not exceeding €2 million) are exempt from the EAA's requirements.
A “more inclusive” approach
Mandy Huntington, Chief Commercial Officer at I-Finity, said:
“For private sector businesses, it’s important to comply although not written into law yet – our government has made no formal announcements about EAA 2025 as a local law.
But if we look at EA regulations like GDPR, then there may come a time when the UK may confirm up its position on EAA.”
Mandy believes that UK firms have more to gain by complying:
“Offering a more inclusive, improved online experience for more people helps you reach new markets and enhance your brand reputation. Inclusion, diversity and equality are core to every responsible business – this cannot be achieved if you’re not providing accessible websites.
It doesn’t only help those with disabilities - with an accessible website it will help everyone as it will provide overall user improvements, better experience with a website being easy to use.”
The European Accessibility Act 2025 & website accessibility in numbers
- 135 million people in the EU with disabilities
- June 28, 2025: deadline for implementation
- 1 in 5 Europeans with disabilities will have their lives improved by the EAA.
- 10 employees or more: Only companies of this size will need to implement it
- 13 guidelines: These are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are central to the EAA.
- 4 principles: The WCAG cover perceivable, operable, understandable and robust as their core guiding principles.
- 27 countries: If you do business in any of the 27 EU countries, you need to be aware of the EAA.
- 4220 lawsuits in 2023: In the US, there has been a rise in lawsuits relating to their version of the EAA – the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- £340billion: Value of UK trade with the EU.
- 50 errors per page: A study of a million websites found that on average they have 50 accessibility errors per page.
- 1 in 20: This is the number of elements on a home page people with a disability would have an issue engaging with.
- 83%: This is the number of home pages that had low contrast text
Are UK companies taking the EAA seriously?
Currently, there is a still a long way to go in the UK when it comes to provide a truly accessible online experience.
We looked at the homepages of the top 10 biggest UK firms – many of which work not only in the EU but across the globe – and carried out automated accessibility tests.
We found:
- Only one website was fully compliant with accessibility standards
- Two of the top 10 were not compliant
- Seven were semi-compliant
- Orientation – which covers display orientation and the ability to navigate using a keyboard – was the biggest issue with 6 websites failing to meet this standard
- Titles and Graphic issues were also noted in 5 of the websites
How to achieve the EAA compliance?
While there are some out of the box website accessibility solutions, not all testing for accessibility can be done by using automated tools.
A combination of manual testing, testing with assistive technologies and end-user testing are vital to make sure you cover all accessibility factors.
Regardless of what platform or solution you use for your website, all websites need to undergo a combination of manual testing and automated testing. There are also key accessibility features that should be considered when designing and developing websites such as alternative text for images, not using colour alone to convey states for interaction, making sure navigation can be accessed without the use of a mouse and ensuring assistive technologies can be used, such as screen readers etc.
It’s also recommended that you audit your site regularly and continue to make improvements to support your plan for being accessible to all.
Website accessibility myths busted
Mandy Huntington dispels some of the most common myths about website accessibility:
- Accessibility is just adding alt text: “The biggest myth about website accessibility is that it’s about adding alternative texts to image – it’s so much more than that.”
- Testing for accessibility can all be done by using automated tools: “In reality, you need a combination of both automated tools and manual testing. There’s a lot of value in manual testing, as well as testing with assistive technologies and end user testing.”
- Accessibility can be considered and added after you’ve developed a site: “Accessibility needs to be part of the website development process from the start - from design and scoping functionality to development and testing – not a process to add at the end.”
- It only helps those with disabilities: “A truly accessible website will help everyone, as it will provide overall user improvements, better experience with a website being easy to use.”
- Once you have an accessible site, it’s job done: “As you add more content, features, and capability to your site, you need to continue the work on accessibility.”
- The only benefit to accessibility is being compliant: “It’s much more than just achieving a compliance tick – it’s about being able to provide your service to everyone, allowing access to the whole internet to the whole planet.”
What UK website owners trading within the EU must do
Here are the next steps you should consider to achieve EAA compliance:
1: Assess Your Current Website Accessibility
Conduct an accessibility audit of your website to identify areas that do not meet the accessibility requirements outlined in the EAA. This could involve checking for text alternatives for non-text content, ensuring website navigation is possible through keyboard-only inputs, and ensuring your website is usable with screen readers.
2. Understand the EAA Requirements
Familiarise yourself with the specific requirements of the EAA, focusing on those that apply to your website and the services you offer. Pay special attention to the functional performance criteria and the technical standards for accessibility that your website must meet.
3. Develop an Accessibility Plan
Based on the audit findings, develop a comprehensive plan to address and rectify the identified accessibility barriers. This plan should prioritize issues based on their impact on accessibility and outline a timeline for implementation.
4. Implement the Necessary Changes
Start working on the necessary changes to make your website compliant. This could involve redesigning certain elements, updating content, or redeveloping features to ensure they are accessible. Ensure that new and updated content meets accessibility standards.
5. Consult with Experts
Consider consulting with accessibility experts or hiring specialists to ensure that the changes you implement effectively meet the EAA requirements. They can provide valuable insights and identify potential issues you might have overlooked.
6. Train Your Team
Train your content creators, web developers and anyone else involved in your website's operation on accessibility standards and the importance of maintaining an accessible website. Ensure they understand the EAA requirements and how to implement them in their work.
7. Test and Validate Changes
After implementing changes, conduct thorough testing to ensure that your website meets the EAA accessibility standards. Use both automated tools and user testing with individuals who have disabilities to validate the effectiveness of your modifications.
8. Publish an Accessibility Statement
Once your website meets the EAA requirements, publish an accessibility statement on your site. This statement should outline your commitment to accessibility, details of the accessibility features of your website, and how users with disabilities can request information or services in an accessible format.
9. Monitor and Update Regularly
Accessibility is an ongoing commitment. Regularly review your website for compliance and keep yourself informed about developments in web accessibility standards and technologies, as well as any changes in legislation that may affect your obligations under the EAA.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your website not only complies with the European Accessibility Act but also provides a more inclusive and accessible online environment for all users.
Sources:
https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jspcatId=1202&intPageId=5581&langId=en
https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7851/CBP-7851.pdf
https://webaim.org/projects/million/
https://www.cityindex.com/en-uk/news-and-analysis/biggest-uk-companies/
https://www.vaimo.com/blog/the-european-accessibility-act-2025-what-businesses-need-to-do/
