European Accessibility Act (EAA) and EN 301549 Compliance

What Is the European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a regulation designed to ensure that digital products and services are accessible to people with disabilities. It applies across the European Union and encourages organizations to make their websites, software, apps and digital tools usable for everyone.

EN 301549 is the technical standard associated with the EAA. It outlines the accessibility criteria digital services should follow and is based on WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the globally recognized standard for web accessibility.

Who Needs to Comply

The EAA affects both private and public organizations that operate within the European market. It covers a wide range of digital environments including:

• Business websites
  
  
• Mobile applications
  
  
• e-commerce platforms
  
  
• Banking and financial systems
  
  
• Digital devices and software
  
  
• Public service portals
  
  

Some micro businesses may be exempt, but many companies offering digital products or services still fall under the requirements. If you want long-term access to the European digital market, compliance is essential.

What Compliance Looks Like

Meeting EAA and EN 301549 requirements means ensuring your digital platforms meet core accessibility standards. These standards improve usability for people with visual, hearing, cognitive and motor disabilities. Common requirements include:

• Clear and descriptive alternative text for meaningful images
  
  
• Full keyboard navigation without requiring a mouse
  
  
• High color contrast between text and background
  
  
• Pages and layouts that remain usable when text is resized up to 200 percent
  
  
• Logical and consistent heading and navigation structure
  
  
• Clear error messages and guidance on how to correct input errors
  
  
• Visible focus indicators when navigating via keyboard
  
  
• Avoiding the use of color alone to convey important information
  
  

Compliance applies not only to websites but also to PDFs, digital documents, multimedia content and downloadable files. Videos should have captions, transcripts and audio descriptions when relevant. Documents should be properly tagged and structured for screen readers.

How to Start Becoming EAA Compliant

Reaching compliance is an ongoing process and not a one-time fix. A strong compliance approach typically includes:

1. Comprehensive Accessibility Audit
   Identify accessibility issues across your website, apps, documents and multimedia content.
   
   
2. Implementation and Remediation
   Fix technical issues, update structure, improve content and apply accessibility best practices.
   
   
3. Continuous Improvement and Monitoring
   As new pages and content are added, regular testing ensures long-term compliance and avoids future accessibility risks.
   
   

Accessibility Solutions from QSeed Solutions

QSeed Solutions helps organizations achieve EAA and EN 301549 compliance through a structured and scalable approach:

• Automated accessibility tools for rapid detection and remediation
  
  
• Expert manual audits for complex issues and critical user journeys
  
  
• Accessibility remediation for documents, PDFs and media files
  
  
• Development support and long-term monitoring to maintain compliance
  
  

With a balanced combination of automated and manual testing, we help ensure your digital presence remains usable, inclusive and aligned with global accessibility standards.