Countdown to the European Accessibility Act (EAA)

From 28^th June 2025, The European Accessibility Act (EAA) comes into force with significant changes that will require companies to rethink the way in which they design, deliver, and advertise their products or services. 

We’ve had a look into what the EAA means for businesses and organisations, and how they can prepare for this important shift in inclusivity. 

What is The European Accessibility Act (EAA)? 

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a call to action for businesses and organisations to be more inclusive for those with disabilities. The law is to be implemented by those who are already selling into the EU market, aims to eliminate the current broad variety of accessibility standards throughout Europe. 
 
Originally enacted into law in 2019, the EAA was rolled out by member states of the EU starting in 2022. Product and service providers who are covered by the EAA have until June 2025 to become compliant, and those that fail to comply could face penalties and fines. 

Who will be affected by the EAA? 

The following products and services will be affected by the EAA: 

• eCommerce services 

• Computers and operating systems 

• Payment and self-service terminals 

• Smartphones and other electronic communication devices 

• Video streaming and television services 

• Banking services 

• Telephone services 

• eBooks 

However, if a business has fewer than 10 employees, or makes an annual revenue of under 2 million euros, then they are classed as exempt from the new regulations. 

Exemptions are also applicable to content that meets the following criteria: 

• Pre-recorded multimedia published before June 2025 

• Office file documents published before June 2025 

• Online maps (unless used for navigational reasons, then essential info must be accessible) 

• Third party content that cannot be removed, updated or edited by the website owner 

• Reproduction of assets that are too expensive or fragile to digitalise 

• Content that is no longer updated or edited and is not needed for active administration 

• Early education (nurseries and schools) website content that does not pertain administrative functions 

What can businesses and organisations do to comply with the EAA? 

Businesses and organisations are to conform with EN 301 549, which incorporates the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA criteria. Meeting these standards involves:   

• Ensuring compatibility with screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive technologies  

• Improving website readability and usability through accessible themes, colour combinations, and focus indicators  

• Incorporating captions into video content, as well as providing audio descriptions and transcripts   

For further information on how to comply with the EAA and what this means for businesses, read the full agreement here. 

We’re here to help make your content accessible. 

Our sales team will walk you through the process of how to make your content accessible, so get in touch and we’ll be happy to chat about your needs.  

We work with a wide range of voice actors and translators to ensure your content can be understood by a wider audience, and we have audio description script writers on hand if you need us to create a script for you. 

To find out how we can help your business with professional subtitling, translation, and voice over services, get in touch with us via project@matinee.co.uk.