If you’re building digital products for the European market, June 28, 2025 is a date you need to highlight in red on your calendar.

That’s when the European Accessibility Act (EAA) officially takes effect, making digital accessibility legally required for a wide range of consumer-facing digital services—not just public institutions, but private companies too.

📜 The Legal Framework

Here’s how the law evolved over time.

First, the Directive 2016/2102 (EU) came into force in 2018. It only applied to public sector websites and apps.

Now, the Directive 2019/882 (European Accessibility Act) will take effect on June 28, 2025, extending accessibility obligations to the private sector across all EU member states.

This means that if you’re developing digital products—websites, apps, SaaS—that target EU consumers, they’ll need to be accessible according to WCAG 2.1 (AA level), no matter when they were launched.

Even services released before the 2025 deadline must be updated if they’re still publicly available.

🚨 Who Is Affected?

The EAA applies to a wide range of digital services.

If you operate an e-commerce site, an online booking platform, a banking or financial application, an e-book or e-learning platform, or any software with a user interface, you are affected.

In short, if your product is consumer-facing and operates in the EU, it falls under this law—regardless of the launch date.

✅ What Are the Technical Requirements?

To comply, your product must meet the criteria defined in WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Every image, logo, or icon must include alt text so that screen readers can interpret the visuals for users with visual impairments.

Text color and background must maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, ensuring legibility for people with low vision.

All functionalities must be accessible using only a keyboard. That means every menu, button, and form must respond to inputs like Tab, Enter, Space, and ESC.

HTML must be structured with semantic headings such as

Forms must include clear labels and error messages. Messages like "Invalid data" are not enough—users need to know exactly what went wrong and where.

Finally, the interface must remain usable when zoomed in up to 200%, and adapt well to all screen sizes, including mobile devices.

🇫🇷 Who Will Enforce This in France?

Several national authorities will be responsible for enforcing accessibility compliance in France.

ARCOM will handle digital content and audiovisual services. DGCCRF will oversee commercial and consumer-facing digital services such as e-commerce and financial platforms. ARCEP will regulate telecom and electronic communication services.

Users will have the right to report accessibility issues. Once a complaint is filed, authorities may initiate audits. Companies will have 30 days to fix violations before facing penalties.

💣 What Are the Risks?

Non-compliance may lead to financial penalties. For repeated offenses, fines can reach €15,000 for legal entities.

In addition, companies may receive public reprimands, potentially damaging their reputation. If the product was funded through public programs or grants, the company could lose eligibility or funding entirely.

👨‍💻 Developer & Tech Team Responsibilities

If you’re a freelancer, and your contract includes language about legal compliance, you’re legally obligated to deliver an accessible product. Clients may even withhold payment if the product doesn't comply.

To protect yourself, make sure your contract specifies whether accessibility compliance is included or not—and always inform the client clearly.

If you're working in B2B or agency settings, your employer or the agency technically holds the legal liability. However, if you’re aware of the law and knowingly deliver a non-compliant product, the agency or client may hold you accountable under "regression" liability.

The safest route is to notify your manager or product owner and document the communication in tools like Jira or email.

As a CTO, founder, or product owner, you bear full responsibility. If your product is flagged for inaccessibility, you may have to pay for retroactive fixes, face user complaints or legal action, and risk product suspension if it's deemed critical (e.g., banking or public service apps).

Now is the right time to start preparing. You don’t need a huge budget to begin. Free tools like axe, WAVE, and Chrome's Lighthouse can help you start identifying accessibility gaps.

🚀 What You Can Do Today

Start by learning the WCAG 2.1 (AA) guidelines—there are tons of resources online.

Raise awareness within your team, especially if you're working in agile environments. Accessibility often gets overlooked unless someone advocates for it.

Talk to your clients or product stakeholders. They might not even know that the law applies to them.

Include accessibility in your contracts and proposals. This can protect you legally, and helps clients understand the importance of compliance.

Plan an accessibility audit for your current products and workflows. Build accessibility into your next sprint, code review, or QA checklist.

Digital accessibility is no longer just a “nice to have.” It’s becoming a legal obligation—and an ethical imperative.

If you're a developer, designer, or digital founder working with EU users, don’t wait until 2025. Start integrating accessibility into your dev workflows now.