European Accessibility Act: is your site in scope, and what to actually do

What it is, in one line

The European Accessibility Act is European directive 2019/882, implemented in Italy by legislative decree 82/2022. Since 28 June 2025 it requires services sold to consumers, e-commerce included, to be accessible to people with disabilities. It is not a recommendation, it is an obligation with a deadline already passed.

Does it apply to you? Three questions

1. Do you sell to consumers in the European Union? The market counts, not the head office. A company based outside the EU that sells to European customers is in scope all the same.
2. Are you above the microenterprise threshold? Microenterprises providing services are exempt, meaning under 10 staff and under 2 million in annual turnover or balance sheet. Both conditions are needed: if you pass just one, you are not exempt.
3. Is the service digital and offered to the public? E-commerce, banking services, ticketing, e-books, communications: if the consumer interacts with it, accessibility is owed.

If you answered yes to the first two, your site must be accessible and you must be able to prove it.

What being compliant means

Accessible has a precise measure. The technical reference is the European standard EN 301 549, which points to the WCAG guidelines at level AA. beaudited measures against WCAG 2.2 AA, the updated version EN 301 549 refers to. In plain terms content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust: text readable even with low vision, everything reachable by keyboard, forms with labels, images with alternative text, and sufficient contrast between text and background.

The written proof of all this is the accessibility statement. How to write it, what it must contain and why declaring without measuring is a risk, you find in the dedicated guide.

What you risk

In Italy the authority is AgID. Fines run from 5,000 to 40,000 euro, plus 2,500 to 30,000 for failing to cooperate with the checks. Since 11 March 2026 AgID runs a public platform where anyone, a customer or a competitor, can report a non-accessible site. Beyond the fine there is reputational damage, and the risk that a false statement becomes, in a dispute, proof that the problem was known.

What to do, in order

1. Measure. First, know where you stand. You can do it yourself in Chrome with Lighthouse, the Accessibility tab, on the pages that matter: home, a product page, the cart, the checkout. Or we measure it on a sample and send you the result in writing.
2. Fix the real problems. Insufficient contrast between text and background is the leading cause on one site in two, and also the cheapest to fix, usually a handful of colours in the stylesheet. Then keyboard, form labels, alternative text.
3. Write an honest statement. A “partially compliant” with the list of what is missing beats a “compliant” written without measuring.
4. Keep a feedback channel. An address users write to when they hit a barrier, with response times. Without it, they go straight to the AgID platform.
5. Re-check. Every time you change the theme, add an app or a promotion, you can break something. Accessibility is not a stamp, it is a state to maintain.

Start from the measurement

The initial check costs 1 euro: we tell you how many WCAG violations your site has and on which pages, within 48 working hours. If you then want to fix them, the full EAA inspection gives you the report with every problem and its fix, plus a draft statement, at a fixed price and all in writing.

Start the check for 1 euro

This guide is not legal advice. Dates, thresholds and fines are those of directive 2019/882, legislative decree 82/2022 and AgID communications as of September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does the European Accessibility Act also cover sites based outside the European Union?

Yes, if they sell to consumers in the European Union. What counts is the market where you offer the service, not the country where you are based.

Is an accessible theme or template enough?

No. A theme starts out accessible, then you customise it: banners, popups, brand colours and added apps are where accessibility fails. You measure the real site, not the starting theme.

Should I follow WCAG 2.1 or 2.2?

The reference is the European standard EN 301 549 at level AA. beaudited measures against WCAG 2.2 AA, the updated version: meeting 2.2 also covers 2.1.

What happens if I do nothing?

Since 11 March 2026 anyone, a customer or a competitor, can report you on AgID’s public platform. Fines run from 5,000 to 40,000 euro, plus 2,500 to 30,000 for failing to cooperate with the checks.

How much does it cost to become compliant?

It depends how many problems the site has. Many are cheap to fix, insufficient colour contrast first of all. The initial check that tells you where you stand costs 1 euro.