Information sheet on the European Accessibility Act
Important
It is your responsibility to comply with the provisions of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).
We have changed the Experlogix Digital Commerce platform and WebShop’s templating system to support your compliance with the EAA from its effective date (28 June 2025).
Our improvements align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA guidelines.
We can’t retrofit your WebShop implementation; any accessibility changes we make apply from the EAA’s effective date.
Purpose
To describe what the European Accessibility Act is, what indicates compliance with it, and how it affects you.
More information
Disabilities come in many forms, including visual, auditory, physical, cognitive, or neurological. Assistive technology, such as screen-reading software, voice recognition, switch devices, and reading assistants, supports persons with disabilities in interacting with products and services they use daily. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) mandates that certain products and services be more accessible to persons with disabilities. Laws, such as the EAA, that support persons with disabilities allow them to engage with products and services they use daily. It levels the playing field and makes their lives more manageable. Additionally, making products and services accessible also improves everyone’s user experience.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a European Directive (formally known as Directive (EU) 2019/882) that applies to many products and services1. It aims to make these products and services more accessible to persons with disabilities. Products and services that must be compliant with EAA include B2C (Business to Consumer) and e-commerce websites. Currently, it does not apply to B2B (Business-to-Business) e-commerce sites.
Meeting the technical standards of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) improves a website's accessibility.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a technical standard that defines how to make website content more accessible to persons with disabilities.2 Typically, it covers the website's content (text, image, and/or sound) and structure (markup and/or code). WCAG covers four key principles3:
Perceivable - information must be visible to the user’s senses
Operable - the user must be able to use the interface
Understandable - the user must be able to understand both the information and the operation of the user interface
Robust - the user interface and content contained on the website must continue to be accessible as advances are made in assistive technologies.
Each principle has an associated set of testable success criteria. If the success criteria are met for each principle, a product or service is said to meet WCAG guidelines.
Products and services that must comply with the EAA include B2C (Business to Consumer) and e-commerce websites. Currently, it does not apply to B2B (Business-to-Business) e-commerce sites. If your WebShop implementation have any B2C capabilities, you must comply with this directive. Depending on your WebShop implementation, you may need to comply with the EAA.
We have focused our efforts on making WebShop more accessible for persons with disabilities (whether that disability is visual, auditory, physical, cognitive, or neurological). Our changes mean that WebShop can be used with assistive technology.
More specifically, we have made improvements in the following areas:
Updated our design principles so that all new features would be accessible by design, meaning that WebShop aims to meet the WCAG robustness principle.
Better keyboard navigation, including fixing tab order and hover interactions on popups and menus.
Interactive elements are perceivable to both humans and assistive technologies.
Improving alt-text and aria labelling in our standard WebShop template.
Adding functionality to the Management Interface so you can update your content to comply with the European Accessibility Act.
Remember, it is your responsibility to comply with the provisions of the European Accessibility Act (EAA). We recommend using tools such as Axe-Core, WAVE - Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools, and/or Lighthouse. These tools come with a learning curve, so we further recommend you take some time in June to understand the results they create. Read our Responsibility matrix: European Accessibility Act for a detailed look at who is responsible for what.
Once the EAA comes into effect from 28 June 2025, persons with disabilities must be able to interact with the products and services listed.
Key points
The European Accessibility Act is a European Directive that applies to many products and services, including B2C (Business to Consumer) and e-commerce websites1. It aims to make these products and services more accessible to persons with disabilities. Currently, it does not apply to B2B (Business-to-Business) e-commerce sites. Depending on your WebShop implementation, you may need to comply with the EAA.
It comes into effect from 28 June 2025.
Experlogix Digital Commerce has improved its platform and WebShop template to make your WebShop more accessible to persons with disabilities. Our approach aligns with the WCAG 2.1 Level AA technical standard and supports WebShop accessibility.
Our frequently asked questions about the European Accessibility Act include tools for verifying compliance with EAA. Please take time to read it carefully, as you are responsible for ensuring your WebShop complies with EAA.