The European Accessibility Act and covered online services

Definition

The European Accessibility Act sets common accessibility requirements for a defined list of products and services, including e-commerce, banking, transport, and electronic communications. It applies to businesses placing those products or services on the EU market, regardless of where the business itself is established.

Does it apply to you

• You provide a product or service within the Act's covered categories to the EU market; applicable national rules, exemptions and transitional provisions need to be checked.
• You provide one of the other covered services, such as consumer banking, e-books, or passenger transport information.
• Member state law applies to you. The directive is implemented nationally, so the precise wording and enforcement body depend on the country.

Why it matters

Enforcement sits with national authorities under each member state implementation, and remedies vary by country. The directive contains an exemption for microenterprises providing services, defined by headcount and turnover, so the smallest businesses may fall outside it. Whether you qualify is a question about your numbers in a specific member state.

Requirements

• The applicable requirements depend on the service and national implementation. Technical assessment should identify the relevant standards, versions and any requirements beyond web-page testing.
• An accessibility statement describing how the service meets the requirements.
• Support and documentation that are themselves accessible.

Steadwatch's role

• We provide automated accessibility checks, quarterly manual review and records of findings for the website.
• Any additional assessment, documentation or service requirements are agreed in the scope.

Records you receive

• Dated website test and review records.
• A published accessibility statement naming the standard, the conformance level, and any known gaps.

Your responsibilities

• Determining whether you are in scope in a given member state, and whether the microenterprise exemption applies to you. That turns on your own figures and on national law.