Accy

The European Accessibility Act for online shops, country by country

What the EAA requires of an online shop, since when, who is exempt, and what is actually happening in each country. With dates and sources.

What applies across the EU

European rule
Directive (EU) 2019/882
Applies since
28 June 2025
Technical reference
EN 301 549 (equivalent to WCAG 2.1 AA)
Micro-enterprise exemption
Fewer than 10 people and under €2M, services only. Manufacturing products is not exempt.

What a shop has to do

  • The site must meet EN 301 549, which in practice means WCAG 2.1 level AA: sufficient contrast, everything operable by keyboard, labelled forms, images with alternative text.
  • Publish information about the accessibility of the service: the accessibility statement. It is the most-forgotten requirement and the easiest to check from outside.
  • Offer a way for someone to report a barrier, and respond to it.

Generate the statement, free →

What is happening in each country

Each member state transposes the directive with its own law, its own body and its own penalty regime. Published figures vary widely between sources, so only the ones we could corroborate appear here, with their date. Always confirm with your national authority before acting on them.

Spain

National law
Ley 11/2023
Authority
UTAC (Unidad Técnica de Accesibilidad y Cumplimiento)
Reported maximum penalty
€301 – €1,000,000

Enforcement signals

  • 2026-02The UTAC has been operational since February 2026 and its complaints channel is open.
  • 2025Vueling was fined €90,000 over accessibility failures on its website.

Germany

National law
Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG)
Authority
Marktüberwachungsstelle der Länder (MLBF)
Reported maximum penalty
up to €100,000

Enforcement signals

  • 2025Since summer 2025 a law firm has been sending warning letters (Abmahnungen) to online shops, at a reported cost of about €1,784 plus €490 for the analysis per case.
  • 2026-Q3From Q3 2026 the authorities are adding automated scanning tools that check thousands of shops in a short time.

France

National law
Transposition de la directive (UE) 2019/882

Enforcement signals

  • 2025-11In November 2025 the first EAA lawsuits were filed against Auchan, Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Picard.

Sweden

Authority
PTS (Post- och telestyrelsen)

Enforcement signals

  • 2026-Q3The PTS published a list of 200 e-commerce platforms it will audit by Q3 2026.

Netherlands

Enforcement signals

  • 2026-H2Active enforcement is expected to begin in the second half of 2026.

Other countries

The EAA applies equally. We have not yet been able to corroborate the national detail for these, and we would rather publish nothing than publish it wrong:

Italy · Portugal · Belgium · Austria · Ireland · Poland · Denmark · Finland

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This page is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed: August 2026.