The European Accessibility Act: Does It Apply to Your Irish Website?
Quick answer: The European Accessibility Act has applied in Ireland since 28 June 2025. Here is who it covers, who is exempt, what 'accessible' means in practice, and a sensible order to fix things in.
Answer Summary
The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) applies in Ireland through S.I. No. 636 of 2023 and has been enforceable since 28 June 2025. It covers consumer-facing services such as e-commerce, online banking, e-books and passenger transport booking. Micro-enterprises providing services are exempt. In practice, compliance is measured against the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which follows WCAG.
Does the Act apply to my business?
Work through three questions in order. Most Irish SMEs have their answer by the second. 1. Do you sell or provide a service to consumers through your website or app? Online shops, online booking and paid digital services count. A brochure site that only lists your phone number is generally not an "e-commerce service" in the Act's sense. 2. Are you a micro-enterprise? Fewer than 10 staff and annual turnover or balance sheet of €2 million or less. If yes, the service obligations do not apply to you. 3. Is the service one of the listed categories? E-commerce, consumer banking, electronic communications, audiovisual media access, e-books, and elements of passenger transport. If yes, and you are not a micro-enterprise, you are in scope. In our experience the businesses caught out are not large ones. They are the 12-person retailer with a busy Shopify store who assumed "accessibility law" meant the public sector. The public sector has had its own rules since 2020; this Act extends the principle to private consumer services.
What does "accessible" actually mean on a website?
The Act sets functional requirements. The harmonised standard, EN 301 549, turns them into testable criteria that follow the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. For a normal business website, that comes down to things you can check:
- Everything works with a keyboard. Menus, filters, the basket and the checkout, without a mouse.
- Focus is visible. You can see where you are on the page as you tab through it.
- Text has enough contrast. Body text at 4.5:1 against its background is the working threshold.
- Images have real alt text. Product photos describe the product, not "IMG2044".
- Forms have labels and clear errors. A screen reader announces what each field is and what went wrong.
- Nothing depends on colour alone. "Fields in red are required" fails; an asterisk and the word "required" passes.
- Video has captions. Especially product demos and how-to clips.
What needs to be published, not just built?
Service providers in scope also have information duties. You should publish, in an accessible format, how your service meets the accessibility requirements — usually as an accessibility statement linked from the footer. Our own accessibility statement is a working example of the format.
What order should I fix things in?
Fix what blocks a purchase first. A beautiful homepage with a checkout a keyboard user cannot finish is the worst outcome. 1. Checkout and basket — keyboard access, labels, error messages 2. Product or service pages — alt text, headings, contrast 3. Navigation and search — focus order, skip link, menu access 4. Account and booking flows — timeouts, confirmation messages 5. Everything else — blog, about page, marketing pages Automated checkers catch roughly the obvious third of issues. The rest needs a person with a keyboard and a screen reader for an afternoon. When we audit a store, the single most common failure is a custom-styled dropdown on the product page that looks fine and cannot be operated without a mouse.
Where does this overlap with SEO?
More than most people expect. Descriptive alt text, real headings and properly labelled links are exactly what search engines and AI assistants read to understand a page. Accessibility work usually improves how a site is understood in search as a side effect — though it should be done for people first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my small business exempt from the European Accessibility Act? If you provide services and have fewer than 10 employees and turnover or balance sheet of €2 million or less, the service obligations do not apply to you. Products have different rules. Does the Act apply to brochure websites? Generally not, if the site does not sell or deliver a consumer service. A site that takes online orders or bookings is a different matter. Which standard should my website meet? EN 301 549, the harmonised European standard, which incorporates WCAG success criteria. Building to WCAG 2.1 AA or newer is the practical target. Do I need an accessibility statement? If you are in scope, you need to publish information on how your service meets the requirements. An accessibility statement in the footer is the usual way. This article is general guidance, not legal advice. For a definitive answer on your obligations, read the regulations or take legal advice.
Want to know where your site stands?
Our free website audit flags the accessibility basics alongside speed and search issues, and any fixes are quoted at a fixed price before work starts. Digital Bridge is an Irish studio at Gorey Business Park, Co. Wexford, with 49 projects delivered. Every engagement is fixed scope, fixed price and owned by you at the end.
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Is my small business exempt from the European Accessibility Act?
If you provide services and employ fewer than 10 people with annual turnover or balance sheet of €2 million or less, you are a micro-enterprise and the Act's service obligations do not apply to you.
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to brochure websites?
Generally not. It targets consumer services such as e-commerce, banking and transport booking. A site that only presents information is usually outside scope, while one that sells or books online may be inside it.
Which standard should an Irish website meet under the Act?
EN 301 549, the harmonised European accessibility standard, which incorporates the W3C WCAG success criteria. Building to WCAG 2.1 AA or newer is the practical target.
When did the European Accessibility Act start applying in Ireland?
28 June 2025. Ireland transposed the directive through S.I. No. 636 of 2023.
What happens next
You get a reply from Joey Bray the same working day. You get a fixed written quote within 48 hours — one price, one delivery date. Work starts only when you have signed the scope, with 50% up front and 50% at launch. Starting prices: Brochure from €1,200, Growth from €2,500, Authority from €4,250, Custom from €5,000, E-commerce from €6,000, AI integration from €2,500, SEO from €650 a month. All prices are ex-VAT starting points.
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