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What WCAG level does the European Accessibility Act require?

In short: In practice, WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The EAA sets functional accessibility requirements and lets businesses show conformity through European standards. The benchmark used for this is EN 301 549, whose web-content clauses incorporate the WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA success criteria. National laws such as Germany's BFSG and Italy's D.Lgs. 82/2022 use the same benchmark.

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Why AA, not A or AAA

Level A covers the most basic barriers; AA adds essentials such as 4.5:1 text contrast, visible keyboard focus, consistent navigation and error suggestions. AAA is not expected for whole sites — the W3C itself does not recommend requiring AAA as a general policy, because some content cannot meet every AAA criterion.

What about WCAG 2.2?

WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation in October 2023 and adds criteria such as focus not obscured and minimum target size. EN 301 549 currently references WCAG 2.1, but content that meets WCAG 2.2 AA also meets 2.1 AA, so building to 2.2 is a sensible way to stay ahead.

How to check your level

Start with an automated scan for the machine-testable criteria (alt text, labels, page language, structure, ARIA), then test contrast, keyboard use and screen-reader behaviour manually. Our methodology page lists exactly which WCAG criteria our scanner checks.

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See where your site stands

Our free automated scan checks your page against machine-testable WCAG 2.1 AA rules in about 20 seconds — no signup, no overlay.

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FAQ
Does the EAA mention WCAG directly?
The directive text sets functional requirements rather than naming WCAG. WCAG 2.1 AA comes in through EN 301 549, the European standard that national laws and authorities reference.
Is WCAG 2.0 AA enough?
No. EN 301 549 incorporates WCAG 2.1, which adds criteria that WCAG 2.0 lacks — for example reflow, non-text contrast and orientation.

General information, not legal advice. National transposition laws differ — consult a lawyer for a binding assessment of your business.

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