The European Accessibility Act (EAA) – what the law has required of your website since June 2025

What does the accessibility law mean?

As society becomes more digital, so does the expectation that everyone, whatever their abilities, should be able to access information and services online. On 28 June 2025, the Swedish Act on the Accessibility of Certain Products and Services (lag (2023:254) om vissa produkters och tjänsters tillgänglighet) came into force. The Act is Sweden's implementation of the EU accessibility directive, the European Accessibility Act (EAA).

We are not lawyers, but as far as websites and mobile apps are concerned, this is how we read it.

Until then, strict accessibility requirements – above all under the Swedish DOS Act on accessibility to digital public services – applied to public authorities and to certain private companies, for example in healthcare and transport. Since 28 June 2025, the Act (2023:254) on the Accessibility of Certain Products and Services has applied as well.

The big change is that the new law covers not only the public sector but large parts of the private sector too. As we read it, however, the requirements apply only to companies whose services are offered directly to consumers. So a company that operates purely B2B (business-to-business) is not covered by these specific requirements for its digital services, although the line between B2B and B2C has its grey areas.

Since then, websites and apps aimed at consumers have had to meet certain accessibility standards. This applies, among other things, to:

• E-commerce services
• Banking services
• Passenger transport (e.g. ticket sales for trains and buses)
• E-books and software

Who is not covered?

There is one important exemption: micro-enterprises (companies with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than €2 million) are generally exempt from the requirements for services, unless they supply specific products that the law covers.

Form your own view

We recommend reading the new law in full and forming your own view: Act (2023:254) on the Accessibility of Certain Products and Services (in Swedish).

Selling to consumers outside Sweden?

The Swedish Act implements Directive (EU) 2019/882, and every EU member state had to apply its own national rules from 28 June 2025. The core is the same across the EU: the requirements cover services provided to consumers, such as e-commerce and consumer banking, and microenterprises providing services are exempt. The directive defines a service provider as anyone who provides a service on the Union market or makes offers to provide one to consumers in the Union. It does not mention where the provider is based, so a UK business that sells to consumers in the EU should check whether its services are covered. Penalties are set by each member state, so read the rules of the countries you sell into.

Why make your website accessible now?

For many companies, making the website accessible is not just a legal requirement – it is one of the smartest business investments they can make:

1. More customers: You open the door to the roughly 20% of the population who have some form of disability (permanent or temporary).
2. Better SEO – but indirectly: Accessibility is not a direct ranking factor. Google has been clear that better accessibility does not in itself raise rankings. The effect is indirect: a correct heading structure makes the page easier to interpret, alt text gives image search something to work with, and a page that is easy to use keeps visitors on it longer. Good accessibility work and good technical SEO simply overlap.
3. Sustainability and inclusion: Showing that you prioritise digital inclusion strengthens your brand.

Checklist: 7 steps to a more accessible website

To meet the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (often based on the WCAG 2.1 level AA standard), you should review the following:

1. Alt text for images and other media: Make sure every image, video clip and audio file on your website has descriptive alt text. If an image carries no meaning, mark it as decorative. This lets people who use a screen reader understand what is shown, even when they cannot see the content. Where you can, also provide captions and/or transcripts for video content.
2. Text size and readability: Use a large enough text size and legible typefaces. Also let users adjust the text size themselves if they need to.
3. Colour contrast: Make sure the text on your website has enough contrast against the background, so that it is easy to read for people with impaired vision. Use a tool such as WebAIM's contrast checker to make sure your colour choices are accessible.
4. Navigation: Create a clear, simple navigation structure. Use menus and internal links to help users find what they are looking for. If you have a large, complex website with many routes through it, you should also use breadcrumbs: a visible trail of links that shows where you are in the website's hierarchy. An accessible website must also be usable without a mouse, so that keyboard users can get around it without problems. Try tabbing your way through menus and forms.
5. Accessible forms: Forms should be logically structured, with clear instructions and labels linked to their input fields. This makes it easier for all users, especially those with cognitive difficulties, to understand how to fill them in.
6. Responsive design: Make sure your website is responsive and works well on different devices and screen sizes, including phones and tablets. This improves not only accessibility but also the overall user experience.
7. Accessibility testing: To make your website genuinely accessible, you need to test it. Tools such as the Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools (WAI-Tools) and feedback from real users with disabilities are essential for finding and fixing accessibility problems.

How do I know if my website measures up?

We recommend starting with a technical audit. Tools such as WAVE or Lighthouse can give an indication, but to be completely sure you usually need a manual review by experts.

Want to future-proof your digital presence? We help you analyse your current website and make the adjustments needed to meet the new legal requirements.

Contact us for a free consultation!