WCAG

European Accessibility Act 2025 — what it means for online stores

The European Accessibility Act is no longer a future concern — it is in force. Here is what every online store needs to know.

European Parliament and Council Directive 2019/882, known as the European Accessibility Act (EAA), entered into force in member state legislation in June 2025. From that date, online stores and certain digital services are required to meet accessibility requirements.

Who the EAA applies to

The EAA applies to:

  • E-commerce services (online stores)
  • Banking and financial services
  • Transport services
  • Telecommunications services
  • Media services

If you sell goods or services to EU consumers online, the EAA applies to you.

Exception: Microenterprises (fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover under €2 million) are exempt in certain cases.

What accessibility means in practice

The EAA requires WCAG 2.1 AA level compliance. This means:

Images need alternative text — every image element must have an alt attribute describing the content.

Forms must be usable with a keyboard — users who do not use a mouse must be able to complete forms using only a keyboard.

Colour contrast must be sufficient — contrast between text and background must be at least 4.5:1 for normal-sized text.

Videos need captions — all videos with important speech must have captions.

Pages must be navigable with a screen reader — ARIA markup, heading hierarchy and focus management must be at a correct level.

What happens if you do not comply

EAA enforcement is the responsibility of member states. In Estonia, oversight falls to the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority. Sanctions depend on the severity and scope of the violation — but at the EU level there is an emphasis that enforcement must be effective.

In addition to national sanctions, users have the right to file complaints and claims.

Drupal and accessibility

Drupal is well positioned on accessibility:

  • Drupal Core includes built-in accessibility tools
  • The theme system supports ARIA roles and semantic HTML
  • The alt text field for images is a required field by default
  • The editoria11y module helps editors find accessibility issues in content

However, a module does not guarantee accessibility — developers must build themes and components with accessibility in mind.

What to do now

  1. Measure the current state — use automated tools (axe, WAVE, Lighthouse) for a first overview
  2. Walk through the purchase flow manually — try it with keyboard only, then with a screen reader
  3. Fix the most critical issues first — contrast problems and missing alt texts are often quick to resolve
  4. Add an accessibility statement — the EAA requires a public accessibility statement on the site

WebPro carries out WCAG accessibility audits — we assess the current state of your site and provide prioritised recommendations.

Kaido Toomingas Kaido Toomingas WebPro Company OÜ

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