The European Accessibility Act: What it means for Businesses and SaaS in the EU

A new standard for Accessibility in Europe

The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) is a landmark piece of legislation aimed at making key products and services across the European Union more accessible to people with disabilities and older individuals. At its core, the Act seeks to remove barriers that have long limited equal participation in society, particularly in an increasingly digital and service-oriented economy.

Beyond its social impact, the directive introduces a harmonised set of accessibility requirements across EU Member States. This is a significant shift for businesses. Previously, companies operating in multiple countries often had to navigate a patchwork of national accessibility rules. With the Act, a more unified regulatory framework emerges, reducing complexity while simultaneously raising the baseline for accessibility.

Although adopted in 2019, the directive required national implementation by 2022, with most obligations becoming enforceable from 28 June 2025. As this deadline approaches, businesses across sectors are reassessing how they design, deliver, and maintain their products and services.


Scope of the Act

The European Accessibility Act applies to a defined set of products and services that are essential for participation in modern life. On the product side, this includes consumer computing hardware and operating systems, smartphones and tablets, self-service terminals such as ATMs and ticketing machines, television equipment linked to digital services, and e-readers.

On the services side, the scope is equally broad. It includes electronic communications services, access to audiovisual media services, elements of passenger transport such as ticketing and travel information systems, consumer banking services, e-books and their software, and e-commerce platforms. These are areas where accessibility barriers can significantly affect independence, access to information, and economic participation.

The inclusion of digital services is particularly important, as it brings a wide range of online platforms - many of them delivered via cloud-based models - within the scope of the legislation.

How the Act will change EU Businesses

For businesses operating in the EU, the European Accessibility Act represents both a compliance obligation and a strategic shift. Accessibility is no longer optional or limited to niche markets; it becomes a legal requirement embedded in product development and service delivery.

At the heart of the directive are four key principles: products and services must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. These principles translate into practical requirements such as providing information in accessible formats, ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies, enabling keyboard navigation, and allowing adaptable user interfaces.

For manufacturers, this means integrating accessibility into product design from the outset, conducting conformity assessments, and maintaining detailed technical documentation. Products must carry CE marking to demonstrate compliance. Importers and distributors also bear responsibility for ensuring that only compliant products enter the market.

Service providers face similar obligations. They must ensure their services meet accessibility requirements and publish clear, accessible information explaining how compliance is achieved. This introduces new expectations around transparency and accountability, particularly in digital environments.

Operationally, businesses will need to embed accessibility into their workflows. This includes training teams, adopting accessible design practices, and implementing testing processes. While this may require upfront investment, it also creates opportunities to reach broader audiences and improve overall user experience.

Accessibility in Digital Platforms

One of the most significant impacts of the Act is on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers. Although the directive does not explicitly mention SaaS, many SaaS platforms fall within its scope under categories such as e-commerce, banking, communication, and media services.

SaaS platforms are typically accessed through web or mobile interfaces, making them subject to the Act’s accessibility requirements. This has direct implications for how user interfaces are designed and how digital experiences are delivered.

From a technical perspective, SaaS providers must ensure that their platforms support assistive technologies like screen readers. This requires proper semantic structure in code, clear labelling of elements, and logical navigation flows. All functionality must be accessible via keyboard, and interactive elements must provide meaningful feedback.

Adaptability is another critical factor. Users must be able to adjust text size, contrast, and layout without losing usability. Colour cannot be the sole method of conveying information, and content must remain accessible under different visual settings. For multimedia content, captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions are often necessary.

Importantly, accessibility extends beyond the interface itself. SaaS providers must ensure that the entire service ecosystem is accessible. This includes onboarding processes, documentation, knowledge bases, and customer support channels. Offering only limited or inaccessible support options would not meet the directive’s requirements.

For SaaS companies operating with continuous deployment models, accessibility must become an ongoing concern. Each update or feature release must be assessed for accessibility compliance. This requires integrating accessibility checks into design, development, and quality assurance processes, combining automated testing with manual validation.

At the same time, the harmonisation introduced by the Act offers a clear benefit. SaaS providers operating across multiple EU markets can align with a single set of standards, reducing legal uncertainty and enabling more consistent product development.


Limitations and Enforcement

The European Accessibility Act does recognise that full compliance may not always be feasible. Businesses can invoke exemptions if meeting the requirements would impose a disproportionate burden or fundamentally alter a product or service. However, these exemptions are narrowly defined and must be thoroughly documented and justified.

Enforcement is handled at the national level. Member States are responsible for appointing market surveillance authorities, establishing complaint mechanisms, and imposing penalties for non-compliance. This ensures that the directive is actively monitored while allowing for local implementation.


A Strategic Opportunity as well as a Legal Obligation

The European Accessibility Act is more than a regulatory requirement - it represents a shift in how accessibility is perceived and implemented across the EU. By establishing clear, harmonised standards, it creates a more inclusive environment for users while simplifying the regulatory landscape for businesses.

For SaaS providers and digital service companies, the impact is particularly significant. Accessibility must now be built into every layer of the product lifecycle, from design to deployment and beyond. While this introduces new responsibilities, it also presents an opportunity to improve usability, expand market reach, and deliver better experiences for all users.

As the 2025 enforcement date approaches, organisations that proactively embrace these changes will be better positioned not only to comply with the law but to lead in an increasingly accessibility-focused digital economy.