What the New EU Accessibility Directive Means for Businesses

What Has Applied So Far?

Since 2018, Sweden has had a law called the "Digital Accessibility Act", which required public organizations and certain private sectors (such as healthcare and education) to ensure their digital services were accessible to everyone. These rules applied mainly to government agencies, municipalities, schools, and certain private institutions, but didn’t yet extend to most commercial businesses.

What Does the New Law Mean?

The new law, effective June 2025, expands accessibility requirements to all new products and services sold to consumers. This means that websites, mobile apps, and even physical products like computers and smartphones will need to be accessible to people with disabilities. Existing products and services will need to be updated to meet accessibility standards by 2030.

The goal of this new directive is to make products and services easier to use and understand for everyone, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. This is especially important since about 20% of Sweden’s population lives with some form of disability, like impaired vision or reduced mobility.

Why Accessibility Benefits Everyone

While the new law is focused on helping people with disabilities, accessibility improvements often lead to a better experience for all users. Making websites and apps easier to navigate, faster, and more intuitive can result in more visitors, higher conversion rates, and ultimately more sales. This is especially important for businesses in e-commerce, where accessibility can have a direct impact on revenue.

E-commerce and the European Accessibility Act (EAA)

The European Accessibility Act (EAA), effective from June 28, 2025, mandates that e-commerce platforms within the EU ensure their digital services are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.

Key Requirements for E-commerce Businesses:

1. Accessible Websites and Mobile Applications: E-commerce platforms must adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, ensuring that all users can perceive, navigate, and interact with online content effectively.
2. Accessible Customer Support Services: The EAA emphasizes the need for accessible communication channels, including help desks and customer support, to assist all users effectively.
3. Compliance Deadlines: All new online products and services must meet EAA requirements by June 28, 2025. Existing products and services should be updated to comply by 2030.

Exceptions and Special Cases:
There are some exceptions to the accessibility requirements. For example, if meeting the standards would significantly change the fundamental nature of a product or service, or if it would impose an unreasonable financial burden, the requirements may not apply. Additionally, micro-enterprises (businesses with yearly revenue less than 2 million EUR and fewer than 10 employees) are exempt from following the rules.

What is WCAG?

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of internationally recognized standards designed to make digital content accessible to people with disabilities. These guidelines help developers and designers create websites and apps that are easy to use for everyone, including people with visual, hearing, or motor impairments.

In simple terms, WCAG focuses on ensuring that websites and apps are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (often referred to as the POUR principles). For example:

1. Perceivable
   Making sure content is accessible to people with visual or auditory impairments, such as providing text alternatives for images or videos.
2. Operable
   Ensuring users can navigate websites using different input methods, like a keyboard or voice commands.
3. Understandable
   Making content clear and easy to follow.
4. Robust
   Ensuring that digital content works well with current and future technologies.

Following WCAG helps businesses ensure that their websites, apps, and other digital services are accessible to everyone.

Intervaro’s Recommended Approach for Accessibility Compliance

At Intervaro, we ensure your digital products meet the new accessibility standards with a focused approach:

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Accessibility Audit
   We start by auditing your websites, apps, and e-commerce platforms against WCAG 2.2 guidelines, identifying accessibility gaps and documenting areas for improvement.

2. Implement Necessary Accessibility Fixes
   Based on the audit, we make design adjustments to ensure content is perceivable, operable, and easy to understand. This includes improving navigation, adding text alternatives, and enhancing color contrast.

3. Ongoing Monitoring and Compliance
   Accessibility is an ongoing process. We set up regular reviews to maintain compliance and ensure any new features meet the required standards.

Conclusion

The new EU Accessibility Directive is a significant step toward creating a more inclusive society where everyone, regardless of ability, can access and use digital products and services. Businesses will need to update their offerings to meet these new requirements, but doing so will not only help them comply with the law, it will also make their services better for all users. By following these guidelines, we can work together to create a digital world that’s welcoming and accessible to everyone.

Read more about how we can help you with accessibility.