European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882)
Directive (EU) 2019/882 of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services (the European Accessibility Act, EAA). EAA entered into force on 27 June 2019, Member States transposed it by 28 June 2022 (Article 31), and the substantive obligations apply from 28 June 2025 (Article 31(2)). The EAA is the EU's PRIVATE-SECTOR accessibility companion to the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD, 2016/2102) which covers public-sector websites + mobile apps. EAA imposes accessibility requirements on a specific set of products (Article 2(1)) and services (Article 2(2)): products include consumer general-purpose computer hardware + operating systems + self-service terminals (ATMs + ticketing + check-in + interactive self-service for travel + banking + retail), consumer terminal equipment used for electronic communications services + audiovisual media services + e-readers; services include electronic communications services + audiovisual media services access + air-rail-water-bus passenger transport services + consumer banking services + e-commerce services + e-books and dedicated software. Accessibility requirements are set out in Annex I sections I-VII. Economic operators (manufacturer + authorised representative + importer + distributor + service provider) have parallel obligations to those in horizontal product safety + market surveillance (GPSR + 2019/1020 + PLD). Article 14 provides the fundamental-alteration + disproportionate-burden exception + Article 4(5) microenterprise exemption (under 10 staff + EUR 2 million turnover or balance-sheet total). Article 32 transitional rule allows service providers to continue providing services concluded before 28 June 2025 until 28 June 2030 (5-year service-provider transitional rule); self-service-terminal exception extends to 20 years from first deployment (Article 32(2)) for specific categories. The EAA + WAD together form the EU's combined accessibility framework with the same harmonised standard EN 301 549 as the technical-conformance bar.
European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) is a compliance framework from European Union with 7 domains and 16 controls that map to 4 other frameworks. The largest domains are EAA: Conformity, CE Marking and Market Surveillance (Articles 15-26) (4 controls), EAA: Final Provisions - Transposition + Transitional + Penalties (3 controls), EAA: Obligations of Economic Operators - Manufacturer + AR + Importer + Distributor (Articles 7-12) (3 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.
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Framework Domains (7)
EAA: Accessibility Requirements (Article 4 + Annex I)
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| EAA-Art.4_AnnexI | Accessibility requirements (EAA Article 4 + Annex I sections I-VII) |
EAA: Conformity, CE Marking and Market Surveillance (Articles 15-26)
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| EAA-Art.15 | Presumption of conformity via harmonised standards and technical specifications (EAA Article 15) |
| EAA-Art.16_17_18 | EU declaration of conformity + CE marking (EAA Articles 16-18) |
| EAA-Art.19 | Market surveillance of products (EAA Article 19) |
| EAA-Art.20_21_22 | Market surveillance of services (EAA Articles 20-22) |
EAA: Exceptions - Fundamental Alteration + Disproportionate Burden + Microenterprise (Article 14)
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| EAA-Art.14 | Fundamental alteration + disproportionate burden + microenterprise exceptions (EAA Article 14) |
EAA: Final Provisions - Transposition + Transitional + Penalties
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| EAA-Art.27 | Built environment - optional Member State requirements (EAA Article 27) |
| EAA-Art.28_29_30 | Working Group + enforcement + penalties (EAA Articles 28-30) |
| EAA-Art.31_32_33 | Transposition + transitional + entry into force (EAA Articles 31-33) |
EAA: Obligations of Economic Operators - Manufacturer + AR + Importer + Distributor (Articles 7-12)
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| EAA-Art.11_12 | Cases where manufacturer obligations apply to others + economic operator identification (EAA Articles 11-12) |
| EAA-Art.7_8 | Manufacturer obligations and authorised representative (EAA Articles 7-8) |
| EAA-Art.9_10 | Importer and distributor obligations (EAA Articles 9-10) |
EAA: Service Provider Obligations and Free Movement (Articles 5-6, 13)
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| EAA-Art.13 | Service provider obligations (EAA Article 13) |
| EAA-Art.5_6 | Free movement and additional accessibility requirements in other Union acts (EAA Articles 5-6) |
EAA: Subject Matter, Scope and Definitions
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| EAA-Art.1_2 | Subject matter and scope of products + services (EAA Articles 1-2) |
| EAA-Art.3 | Definitions (EAA Article 3) |
Your Compliance Coverage
If you comply with European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882), you already cover:
EN 301 549 - Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services
19%
3 controls mapped
Compare →EU Product Liability Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/2853)
19%
3 controls mapped
Compare →EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR, Regulation 2023/988)
19%
3 controls mapped
Compare →+ 1 more: EU Web Accessibility Directive (Directive 2016/2102) (6%)
See all 4 mapped frameworks ↓Maps to 4 other frameworks
What is European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) and who does it apply to?
European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) is a compliance framework from European Union with 7 domains and 16 controls. Directive (EU) 2019/882 of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services (the European Accessibility Act, EAA). EAA entered into force on 27 June 2019, Member States transposed it by 28 June 2022 (Article 31), and the substantive obligations apply from 28 June 2025 (Article 31(2)). The EAA is the EU's PRIVATE-SECTOR accessibility companion to the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD, 2016/2102) which covers public-sector websites + mobile apps. EAA imposes accessibility requirements on a specific set of products (Article 2(1)) and services (Article 2(2)): products include consumer general-purpose computer hardware + operating systems + self-service terminals (ATMs + ticketing + check-in + interactive self-service for travel + banking + retail), consumer terminal equipment used for electronic communications services + audiovisual media services + e-readers; services include electronic communications services + audiovisual media services access + air-rail-water-bus passenger transport services + consumer banking services + e-commerce services + e-books and dedicated software. Accessibility requirements are set out in Annex I sections I-VII. Economic operators (manufacturer + authorised representative + importer + distributor + service provider) have parallel obligations to those in horizontal product safety + market surveillance (GPSR + 2019/1020 + PLD). Article 14 provides the fundamental-alteration + disproportionate-burden exception + Article 4(5) microenterprise exemption (under 10 staff + EUR 2 million turnover or balance-sheet total). Article 32 transitional rule allows service providers to continue providing services concluded before 28 June 2025 until 28 June 2030 (5-year service-provider transitional rule); self-service-terminal exception extends to 20 years from first deployment (Article 32(2)) for specific categories. The EAA + WAD together form the EU's combined accessibility framework with the same harmonised standard EN 301 549 as the technical-conformance bar. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
What does European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) actually require?
European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) has 16 controls organised across 7 domains. The largest domains are EAA: Conformity, CE Marking and Market Surveillance (Articles 15-26) (4 controls), EAA: Final Provisions - Transposition + Transitional + Penalties (3 controls), EAA: Obligations of Economic Operators - Manufacturer + AR + Importer + Distributor (Articles 7-12) (3 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.
If I already comply with another framework, how much of European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) do I already cover?
European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) maps to 4 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are EN 301 549 - Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services (19% coverage), EU Product Liability Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/2853) (19% coverage), EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR, Regulation 2023/988) (19% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.
How do I implement European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882)?
Start your European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 16 controls and track your progress.
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