EAA and EN 301 549 explained
In short
The European Accessibility Act (EAA, Directive (EU) 2019/882) is the EU law that member states transpose into national law (in Germany: the BFSG). The technical benchmark is the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which for websites and apps references the WCAG success criteria (Level A and AA). Meeting WCAG 2.2 AA covers the web-relevant core.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA)
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is Directive (EU) 2019/882 from 2019. It harmonises the accessibility requirements for certain products and services across the EU, so the same rules apply everywhere in the single market. Member states had to transpose the directive into national law by 28 June 2022; the obligations have applied since 28 June 2025.
From the EU directive to national law
An EU directive does not apply directly — each country casts it into its own law. In Germany that is the Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG), in Croatia the “Zakon o pristupačnosti proizvoda i usluga”. Who has which concrete obligations therefore depends on the respective national law — but the substance is the same across the EU. Whether and how you are affected in Germany is clarified in “BFSG: Who is affected?”.
What EN 301 549 is
EN 301 549 is the European harmonised standard “Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services”, maintained by the European standards organisations. It is the technical benchmark on which accessibility legislation relies: anyone who meets the standard is presumed to meet the legal requirements (presumption of conformity). The version widely referenced today is EN 301 549 V3.2.1 (2021); the standard is continually adapted to new WCAG versions.
The connection to the WCAG
EN 301 549 is broader than the WCAG: besides web content it covers hardware, software, documentation and two-way communication in separate chapters. For web content it adopts, at its core, the WCAG success criteria at Levels A and AA. For a website, meeting the WCAG A/AA criteria is therefore the heart of the EN 301 549 web requirements. The WCAG themselves exist as versions 2.1 and 2.2 — WCAG 2.2 AA is the current target level.
| Layer | What it is | Role |
|---|---|---|
| EAA (Directive (EU) 2019/882) | EU directive | Sets EU-wide what must be accessible (the “why”) |
| National law (e.g. BFSG) | Transposing act per country | Makes the requirements legally binding in each country |
| EN 301 549 | Harmonised standard | Technical benchmark; compliance grounds the presumption of conformity |
| WCAG 2.1 / 2.2 AA | Web success criteria | The concrete checkpoints EN 301 549 references for the web (the “how much”) |
What goes beyond the WCAG
For a pure website, WCAG A/AA is the decisive part. But EN 301 549 also contains requirements that go beyond it and can apply depending on the offering: for example to downloadable documents (e.g. accessible PDF invoices), to software and native apps, or to support and communication channels. An online offering rarely consists of HTML alone — documents and contact channels count too.
What this means for your website
In practice this means for a B2C shop or B2C website: aim for WCAG 2.2 AA — that covers the web-relevant core of EN 301 549. Which checkpoints these concretely are is listed by “WCAG 2.2 AA: the checklist”. What a defensible proof of it looks like and what it costs is in “What does an accessibility audit cost?”.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between the EAA and the BFSG?
- The EAA (European Accessibility Act) is EU Directive 2019/882 and sets the EU-wide frame. The BFSG (Accessibility Strengthening Act) is Germany's transposition of that directive and makes the requirements legally binding in Germany.
- Is meeting the WCAG enough to comply with EN 301 549?
- For websites the WCAG A/AA criteria are the core of the EN 301 549 web requirements — so meeting WCAG 2.2 AA covers the bulk. EN 301 549 additionally covers documents, software and support channels; depending on your offering these can also apply.
- Which WCAG version is decisive?
- EN 301 549 references the WCAG success criteria; the current target level is WCAG 2.2 AA, which contains all criteria from 2.1 AA and adds a few new ones. We audit against WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA, mapped to EN 301 549.
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