Answers

When did the European Accessibility Act take effect?

In short: The European Accessibility Act has applied since 28 June 2025. It was adopted in 2019 as Directive (EU) 2019/882, member states had to transpose it into national law by 28 June 2022, and since 28 June 2025 in-scope products placed on the EU market and services provided to consumers must meet its requirements.

Last updated: 1 October 2026

Key dates

2019 — Directive (EU) 2019/882 is adopted and published in the Official Journal of the EU.
28 June 2022 — deadline for member states to transpose it into national law, for example Germany's BFSG and Italy's D.Lgs. 82/2022.
28 June 2025 — the accessibility requirements apply to in-scope products and services.
28 June 2030 — end of the transition period for services that keep using products they lawfully used before June 2025.

Transition periods

Service contracts agreed before 28 June 2025 may continue unchanged until they expire, but for no longer than five years. Self-service terminals already in use may remain in service until the end of their economically useful life, up to 20 years. Check your national law for exactly how these transitions apply to you.

What it means today

The application date has passed, so national authorities can act on complaints now. If you sell in-scope services to EU consumers, the practical first step is to measure your website against WCAG 2.1 AA and fix what fails.

Official sources

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FAQ

Was the EAA deadline postponed?

No. The directive's application date is 28 June 2025, and national laws such as Germany's BFSG and Italy's D.Lgs. 82/2022 apply from that date.

Does the EAA cover websites built before June 2025?

Yes. For services, what matters is whether you provide the service to consumers after 28 June 2025 — an older website still used to sell to consumers is in scope.

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

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