What is the European Accessibility Act?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a European Directive that contains accessibility requirements for a range of products and services; and it will commence on June 28th, 2025. 

The EAA is formally known as Directive (EU) 2019/882 on the Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services. In Ireland, the EAA was transposed into Irish Law through Statutory Instrument No. 636 of 2023.  

What are the main aims of the European Accessibility Act?

  • To increase the availability of accessible products and services across the European Union (EU).
  • To ensure that accessibility requirements are consistently applied to the manufacturing and sale of certain products and services across the EU.
  • To ensure that accessibility requirements are included in public procurement: Ensure that when public organisations buy products and services covered by the EAA, they meet the accessibility requirements in the EAA.

Who does the EAA apply to?

The EAA will apply to any company that wishes to trade in the EU, regardless of where that company is based. Manufacturers, importers, and distributors must ensure that, for the products and services covered by the EAA, only those in compliance with its requirements are placed onto the EU market.

Public Procurement for the relevant products and services will also be covered by the EAA. The accessibility criteria outlined in the public procurement of products and services covered by the Act will be aligned with the EAA’s accessibility requirements.
 

Why is the European Accessibility Act needed?

Market Unification 

Under the EAA, member states will follow a set of common accessibility requirements for the products and services it covers. Currently, different EU countries have different requirements, making it hard for companies to sell a product or service across the EU. The EAA will establish one unified set of requirements, making it easier for private companies to sell compliant products and services in all areas of the EU. 

Improved Accessibility

The EAA will prevent product and services that do not meet its accessibility requirements from being made available on the EU market. This will ensure a minimum level of accessibility for key products and services throughout the EU.

UNCRPD Obligations

The EU and all its member states are parties to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The provisions of the UNCRPD are binding upon the EU and its member states.

Below are some relevant obligations outlined by the UNCRPD:

  • Adopt national provisions on accessibility of products and services. 
  • Take appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities have access, on an equal basis with others, to information and communications. This includes information and communications technologies and systems, and other facilities and services provided to the public. 
  • Undertake or promote research and development of, new technologies, including information and communications technologies, mobility aids, devices, and assistive technologies, suitable for persons with disabilities.

Additionally, the UNCRPD committee has identified the need to create a legislative framework with concrete, enforceable, and time-bound benchmarks for monitoring the gradual implementation of accessibility.

What is the National Disability Authority’s role? 

Many public bodies have a role in the implementation of the EAA in Ireland, and the National Disability Authority (NDA) is one of them.

The NDA is responsible for advising the relevant market surveillance authority and compliance authorities on matters related to the accessibility requirements. When requested, the NDA will provide support in developing guidelines and tools on the application of the accessibility requirements.  

What are the Accessibility Requirements?

The EAA’s accessibility requirements outline what companies must do to comply with the EAA, but they do not specify how a company must do this. This allows for innovation in how companies design and manufacture their products and services to be compliant, without prescribing how conformity may be achieved.

What are Standards and which ones are relevant?  

A standard is an agreed set of requirements. Some standards can be used to comply with European laws. The European Commission decides which standards can be used to comply with which EU laws. These are called harmonised standards.

A set of six harmonised standards are being created or updated for companies to use to comply with the EAA. Organisations will be able to use the requirements in the harmonised standards to comply with the accessibility requirements in the EAA.

The list of new standards to be drafted include:

  • Harmonised standard(s) setting up requirement on the accessibility of non-digital information related to products. 
  • Harmonised standard for the accessibility of support services related to products and services (help desks, call centres, technical support, relay services and training services) 
  • Harmonised standard for the accessibility and interoperability of emergency communications and for the answering of emergency communications by the public safety answering point (PSAPs) (Including to the single European Emergency number 112)

The list of existing standards to be revised include:

  • EN 301 549: Accessibility Requirements for ICT products and services 
  • EN 17161 Design for All – Accessibility following a Design for All approach in products, goods, and services – Extending the range of users. 
  • EN 17210 Accessibility and usability of the built environment – Functional requirements. The EAA requirements on the built environment were optional for countries to adopt and Ireland did not adopt them.  

More information on standards and how they are relevant to Universal Design and inclusion is available on the National Standards Authority of Ireland's (NSAI) website. 
 

Which products and services does the EAA apply to and who monitors them?  

The market surveillance authority is responsible for regulating the relevant products and services covered under the EAA. In Ireland, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is the market surveillance authority. Below is a list of the products they regulate. 

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC): 

  • E-books and dedicated software 
  • E-commerce services  
  • Consumer general purpose computer hardware systems and operating systems for those hardware systems 
  • Payment self-service terminals 
  • Automated teller machines that are dedicated to the provision of services covered by the regulations.
  • Ticketing machines that are dedicated to the provision of services covered by these regulations. 
  • Check in machines that are dedicated to the provision of services covered by these regulations. 
  • Interactive self-service terminals providing information dedicated to the provision of services covered by these regulations (excluding terminals installed as integrated parts of vehicles, aircrafts, ships, or rolling stock).  
  • Consumer terminal equipment with interactive computing capability, used for electronic communications services. 
  • Consumer terminal equipment with interactive computing capability, used for accessing audiovisual media services. 
  • E-readers.

 

Below is a list of the compliance authorities and the services they regulate. 

Commission for Communications Regulation:  

  • Electronic communication services, other than transmission services used for the provision of machine-to-machine services.  
  • Answering emergency communications to the single European emergency number ‘112’ 

Coimisiún na Meán: 

  • Services providing access to audiovisual media services.   

Irish Aviation Authority: 

The following elements of air passenger transport services (other than urban and suburban transport services and regional transport services): 

  • Websites.
  • Mobile device-based services, including mobile applications. 
  • Electronic tickets and electronic ticketing services. 
  • The delivery of transport service information, including real time travel information (insofar as it applies to information screens, will apply only in relation to interactive screens located in the EU). 
  • Interactive self-service terminals located within the territory of the Union (other than those installed as integrated parts of vehicles, aircrafts, ships, and rolling stock used in the provision of any part of such passenger transport services).

National Transport Authority: 

The following elements of bus passenger transport services, rail passenger transport services, and waterborne passenger transport services (other than urban and suburban transport services and regional transport services):  

  • Websites.
  • Mobile device-based services, including mobile applications. 
  • Electronic tickets and electronic ticketing services. 
  • The delivery of transport service information, including real time travel information (insofar as it applies to information screens, will apply only in relation to interactive screens located in the EU).
  • Interactive self-service terminals located within the territory of the Union (other than those installed as integrated parts of vehicles, aircrafts, ships, and rolling stock used in the provision of any part of such passenger transport services).
  • The following elements of urban and suburban transport services and regional transport services.
  • Interactive self-service terminals located within the territory of the Union, other than those installed as integrated parts of vehicles and rolling stock used in the provision of any part of such passenger transport services.  
     

Central Bank of Ireland: 

  • Consumer banking services. 
     

Feedback 

Do you have any questions or feedback on this page? If so, you can email us at eaa@nda.ie

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