The European Accessibility Act will come into effect in June 2025
The European Accessibility Act will come into effect in member states in June 2025. The directive imposes requirements on various digital products and services, primarily within the private sector.
What does the directive cover?
The directive applies to certain products as well as to certain types of services. This may seem somewhat vague, so we have clarified it for you below.
The products covered by the directive include:
- Computers intended for consumers and operating systems for these computers
- Smartphones and tablets
- Payment terminals
- ATMs
- Ticket vending machines
- Check-in kiosks
- Interactive self-service terminals
- Set-top boxes and smart TVs
- E-readers for e-books
The directive also applies to the following types of consumer-facing services:
- E-commerce services
- Banking services
- E-books, including software for reading them
- Electronic program guides (EPG) and on-demand TV
- Commercial electronic communication services such as phone calls, SMS, MMS, and email, as well as more specialized communication services and apps
- Certain passenger transport services (excluding local and regional transport)
Enforcement and penalties
Government have appointed supervisory authorities that can require corrective measures in case of non-compliance. In Sweden, companies that fail to comply with the law that implements the directive may face fines of up to 10 million SEK per violation.
How can you prepare?
The laws implementing the directive will apply to both new and existing services starting June 28, 2025, and to new products launched on the market from that date onwards. If you sell products or services covered by the directive, now is the time to start preparing.
Here are some steps you may need to take:
- Determine whether your business is affected by the new directive.
- Educate yourself to understand what accessibility means and why it matters.
- If you develop your own services: Train procurers, copywriters, designers, developers, and testers in accessibility and integrate accessibility into all development and maintenance processes.
- If you purchase development services: Ensure that your suppliers understand the requirements and can meet them. As the service provider, you are responsible for ensuring compliance with the directive.
- Evaluate your services to assess how far they are from meeting the legal requirements.
- Plan how to transition to accessible services before June 2025.
- Develop ‒ and test! ‒ the new services. Start as soon as possible, but first ensure you have the necessary training.
- Make sure all product documentation is accessible and that there is documentation on accessibility status.
- Train customer service and support staff.
Digital accessibility is not just a legal obligation ‒ it will also give you a competitive advantage. By taking the right steps today, you can future-proof your business, operate sustainably, and ensure better experiences for your customers.
