The deadline is approaching.
On June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) comes into force.
The EAA is a landmark directive that aims to improve digital accessibility across the European Union. It covers a wide range of products and services – from e-commerce platforms and mobile apps to ATMs and e-readers.
But while some businesses are starting to take note of the EAA, many aren’t aware of the consequences of non-compliance, which can be severe.
In this blog post, we’ll demystify the European Accessibility Act fines, so you have a thorough understanding of the stakes – and what steps you can take to help steer clear of the penalties.
What happens if you don’t comply with the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a directive, not a regulation – this distinction is important. Both are binding legislative acts under EU law, but they function differently:
- A regulation (like GDPR) has a direct effect. It automatically becomes law in all EU Member States without needing to be implemented through national legislation.
- A directive, like the EAA, must be transposed into national law by each Member State. This means countries have some flexibility in how they implement it – particularly in areas like enforcement and penalties.
💡 So, what happens if your business doesn’t comply?
That depends on the specific laws enacted by each Member State in response to the EAA. But here’s what you can generally expect:
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Fines and penalties: While each country can decide the specifics, they are required to establish sanctions that are effective, proportionate, and dissuasive.
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Legal action: You may be subject to enforcement proceedings brought by regulatory bodies or affected individuals.
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Injunctions or forced product withdrawals: In severe cases, authorities could block or pull non-compliant products and services from the market.
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Reputational damage: Failure to comply may also hurt your brand image – especially in sectors where accessibility is a public expectation.
To stay compliant, businesses need to track how each relevant Member State is transposing the EAA and what specific obligations and penalties apply in their jurisdictions.
Who enforces the EAA?
Each Member State is required to designate one or more authorities responsible for monitoring and enforcing the EAA. These could be existing consumer protection agencies, or entirely new regulatory bodies.
Enforcement mechanisms might include audits and inspections, ongoing monitoring of digital platforms, responding to user complaints, and collaboration with EU-wide networks to share best practices. Some authorities may also carry out proactive checks, especially in high-risk sectors like finance and e-commerce.
How Member States determine fines and penalties
One of the EAA’s key features is that it sets the framework but leaves the application to individual Member States. This means that each country must create its own laws, including specific enforcement procedures and fine structures.
Although European Accessibility Act fines and penalty systems will vary, most Member States are expected to assess factors like the severity and duration of the violation, how cooperative the business is with regulators, how many users were affected, and whether there’s a history of previous violations.
Below are some examples of European Accessibility Act fines and penalties. Please note that these are subject to change as each country finalizes its implementation:
Austria 🇦🇹
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Fines: Up to €200,000
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Additional Penalties: Repeated violations can lead to higher fines and possible suspension of services.
Belgium 🇧🇪
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Fines: €1,000 to €50,000
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Additional Penalties: Continuous non-compliance may lead to suspension of business operations.
Denmark 🇩🇰
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Fines: €10,000 for initial non-compliance
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Additional Penalties: Fines increase with repeated offenses.
France 🇫🇷
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Fines: €5,000 to €250,000
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Additional Penalties: €25,000 for any additional, related offences as well as potential public exposure of non-compliant businesses.
Germany 🇩🇪
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Fines: Up to €500,000
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Additional Penalties: Businesses may need to take corrective action and face potential suspension of services.
Ireland 🇮🇪
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Fines: €5,000 to €60,000
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Additional Penalties: Potential imprisonment for directors, managers, administration staff and other officers for up to 6 months or 18 months once indicted.
Italy 🇮🇹
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Fines: €40,000 or 5% of annual turnover
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Additional Penalties: Potential suspension of services.
Netherlands 🇳🇱
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Fines: Up to €250,000
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Additional Penalties: Potential suspension of services.
Spain 🇪🇸
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Fines: €30,000 to €600,000
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Additional Penalties: Potential suspension of services.
Sweden 🇸🇪
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Fines: Up to €200,000.
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Additional Penalties: Businesses will have to take corrective action and face mandatory accessibility audits to ensure compliance.
To help you better understand what might trigger enforcement action, here are a few hypothetical but plausible scenarios:
- An e-commerce website fails to provide alt text for product images, making it unusable for visually impaired users.
- A banking app is not navigable by keyboard alone, violating accessibility principles for users with motor disabilities.
- A customer support chatbot doesn’t offer an accessible fallback option like a human agent, creating a barrier for those who use assistive technologies.
- A transport-booking website provides a CAPTCHA with no accessible alternative, making it difficult for screen reader users to complete a purchase.
- A mobile app used for public services doesn’t have strong contrast and doesn’t support text resizing, excluding users with low vision.
- A video tutorial platform doesn’t provide captions or transcripts, effectively shutting out users who are hearing impaired.
- A travel company’s booking platform uses complicated, multi-step forms with no progress indicators or error messages compatible with screen readers.
In these cases, authorities could issue warnings, fines, require remedial action, or all three. The severity of the enforcement could be linked to how essential the service is and how much harm the inaccessibility causes.
Legal and financial consequences of non-compliance
Beyond the potential European Accessibility Act fines, there are broader risks to consider.
If you’re sued for non-compliance, legal fees can mount up quickly. You might also lose contracts, particularly with government or enterprise clients that require accessibility compliance.
What’s more, inaccessible platforms can drive customers away. Over 100 million people in the EU alone live with disability, which means your business could be missing out on a large customer base by not being accessible.
There’s also the risk of class-action lawsuits or coordinated complaints from consumer rights organizations. Non-compliance can lead to operational setbacks, delays in product launches, and resource-draining remediation efforts that could have been avoided through early planning.
There’s no denying that the consequences of non-compliance can be severe – not just financially, but legally and reputationally as well. This means it’s all the more important to prioritize accessibility efforts now so you can avoid any unfortunate consequences once the EAA fully comes into force.
How to avoid European Accessibility Act fines and get closer to compliance
To ensure greater compliance with the EAA, it helps to be familiar with the accessibility principles outlined by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines set the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard.
The WCAG is based on four principles, commonly referred to as the POUR principles:
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Perceivable: Users must be able to perceive the content presented. This includes using text alternatives for non-text content, ensuring sufficient contrast, and providing captions for audio and video.
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Operable: Interfaces and navigation must be operable by all users, including those who rely on keyboards or assistive devices. Avoid content that flashes excessively, and ensure all interactive elements are usable without a mouse.
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Understandable: Content must be presented in a clear and predictable way. This includes using legible fonts, straightforward language, and consistent navigation across pages.
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Robust: Content must be compatible with a variety of current and future user agents, including assistive technologies. This means using clean, semantic HTML and following web standards for long-term compatibility.
If your business’s digital services align with these principles, you’ll increase your chances of improving your website’s accessibility and usability – and reduce the risk of receiving European Accessibility Act fines.
Steps to help make your website and services more accessible
Whether you’re a startup or a multinational, these practical steps can help you get closer to aligning with the EAA:
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Start with an accessibility audit. This can help you find the areas where you’re not compliant. To carry out an audit, you can use tools to carry out automated scans, as well as manual user testing. This combined approach will help you uncover both obvious and more nuanced accessibility issues – such as code-level problems that affect screen readers or usability issues that automated tools can’t detect.
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Fix high-impact issues first. In general, it’s important to focus on issues that directly affect user access to your services. For example, missing alt text, poor contrast, and inaccessible navigation – these can often be fixed quickly. Develop a roadmap for more complex fixes and make sure accessibility improvements are included in your product backlog.
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Offer multiple communication channels for users. Ensure that users can access customer support in accessible formats.
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Use semantic HTML. This helps screen readers interpret content correctly.
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Implement ARIA landmarks and roles. These can significantly improve navigation for assistive technology users.
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Ensure all forms have proper labels and instructions. This allows users with assistive tech to complete them without barriers.
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Provide text alternatives for multimedia content. This can include captions for videos, transcripts for podcasts, and audio descriptions where appropriate.
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Check color contrast and font across all pages. Make sure all text is legible in different conditions.
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Ensure your navigation is consistent and intuitive. Menus should be logically ordered and links clearly described.
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Promote keyboard accessibility. Users should be able to navigate your entire website using only their keyboard.
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Set up a regular review process. Accessibility isn’t one-and-done – it’s a continuous commitment. Build in quarterly or biannual reviews to assess progress, tackle regressions, and stay ahead of legal updates.
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Document everything. This includes audit results, internal discussions, timelines for fixes, and user feedback. Keeping detailed records helps your team stay accountable and serves as valuable proof of your efforts if authorities investigate.
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Educate your team. Make sure everyone on your team – from designers and developers to product managers and marketers – understands accessibility principles. Host regular training sessions and make accessibility a shared responsibility across departments.
Embedding accessibility into your strategy and daily workflows by using the right tools means you can reduce the risk of violations and provide a more inclusive experience for everyone.
Don’t underestimate the risks of non-compliance
The European Accessibility Act is an opportunity to make your digital experiences more inclusive, resilient, and user-friendly.
But make no mistake: the risks of non-compliance are real. With enforcement deadlines approaching and national implementations underway, businesses must act now to prepare.
The good news is that you don’t have to go it alone. When used in combination with manual user testing and some of the other steps outlined in this blog, our Accessibility Solution makes it easier to improve your website’s accessibility and usability in terms of EAA standards.
Want to feel more confident as you approach the June 28 deadline?
