European Accessibility Act (EAA) – UK Implications
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is about to come into force in the European Union on the 28th of June 2025.
Although the UK is no longer part of the EU, it can still affect a number of UK-based businesses.
Who does it apply to?
If you are a business that sells products or services to anyone in the EU.
However, you may be exempt from the changes if you meet either of the following criteria:
- You have fewer than 10 employees
- Your annual revenue is less the €2 million Euros (this is currently £1.6 million as of May 2025)
The following content will be exempt from the changes:
- Pre-recorded multimedia published before June 2025.
- Office documents published before June 2025
- Online Map (unless they are used for Navigation)
- Third Party Content on your site, such as a Facebook Feed or “iframed” content.
- Content that is obsolete and not updated/edited.
- Early Educational Content that does not have administrative functions
What do I need to do?
The EU recommends an accessibility standard known as EN 301 549.
This standard can be met by implementing the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard.
Yellow Cherry can help you with this:
1. We begin with a thorough, expert audit of your website to identify all accessibility issues.
2. We then set about fixing the issues discovered
3. Finally, we create an accessibility statement that will be attached to your website to provide the results of the audit.
Keen to get an audit of your site? Get in touch!
What happens if I don’t comply?
If you are a business that sells to the EU, and you don’t comply with the accessibility regulations then you may face legal sanctions. The penalty differs from country to country. For example, Ireland will impose a fine up to €60,000 and 18 months imprisonment, whereas Spain will fine between €5,000 and €300,000
If you are a UK business, you may also face losing the ability to sell to EU customers.
What about the UK?
At present, the UK follows the Equality Act 2010, which requires businesses to make “reasonable adjustments” but there is no formal criteria in regards to online accessibility. As alignment with EU standards continues, it’s increasingly likely that the UK will introduce legislation similar to the European Accessibility Act. If or when that happens, UK businesses will need to take action to bring their websites up to standard.
By taking proactive steps today, UK businesses can stay ahead of the curve, avoid a scramble to get compliant and demonstrate a clear commitment to accessibility.