Key Takeaways 

• The European Accessibility Act (EAA) has officially gone into effect in June 2025. 
• In order to comply with the EAA, businesses need to ensure their solutions meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, provide an accessibility statement, and implement accessibility training for their teams. 
• The EAA is also an opportunity for businesses to serve and reach those with accessibility needs.

Accessibility in the EU is no longer strongly recommended; it is now mandated by the European Accessibility Act (EAA). 

What is the EAA? 

The EAA, which was approved in 2019, came into effect June 2025 and mandates that a range of products and services must comply with accessibility requirements for persons with disabilities to ensure equal access to digital products and services throughout Europe. This includes consumer electronics like TVs, smartphones, and computers, ticketing and vending machines, and online solutions like websites, e-commerce sites, and more.

Previously, each member state in the EU had different accessibility standards for products and services. Under the EAA, the member states will have a set of common accessibility rules to follow. The EU Commission estimates that differing accessibility requirements cost companies and member states €20 billion in 2020. This act is estimated to reduce that by 45 to 50%.

The EAA will apply to private businesses and public-sector organizations that offer goods and services to EU customers, regardless of where they are based. Customers can file complaints before national courts and authorities if businesses and organizations are not abiding by the new act. Failure to comply with the law could result in penalties, including fines. 

So what can you do to ensure you are compliant with the EAA? 

How to Ensure Compliance with the EAA

According to a research study conducted in May of 2025, only 27% of the 120 European companies interviewed considered themselves prepared for the EAA. 

Navigating the EAA can seem complicated and burdensome, but taking the necessary steps helps foster a more accessible and equitable society while allowing you to serve a wider range of people.  

Use this quick checklist to determine whether you meet EAA standards. 

• Does your solution meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards? The EAA references EN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA as the web standard. Additionally, WCAG 2.2 includes and builds upon WCAG 2.1. So although it’s not currently mandated by the EAA, it may be smart to work towards compliance for WCAG 2.2. 

• Are you implementing accessibility training for employees and monitoring accessibility on an ongoing basis? Accessibility is not a one and done scenario. It requires regular action; both to educate employees and to continuously monitor and improve your solutions. 

• Do you have an accessibility statement containing:

  • Information about the functionality of your product or service, including documentation around technical accessibility specifications and design processes. 

  • A description of how your product or service meets the EAA’s accessibility requirements.

How to Create More Inclusive Website Experiences

If you want to create an accessible website, look for a platform that can: 

• Prioritize accessibility features. What tools and features does the platform provide to accelerate compliance with accessibility? Look for features such as color contrast, keyboard navigation support, screen reader compatibility, and resizable text. 

• Check and monitor accessibility for your website. See if the platform is able to verify your website’s compliance with different standards like WCAG and WAI-ARIA.

• Help scale accessibility. How does the platform help you expand accessibility efforts more efficiently? Consider templates and components that can be created and reused to maintain consistency throughout your websites.

• Meet accessibility standards itself. The platform itself must be accessible to use and accommodate developers and users with accessibility needs. After all, inclusion and accessibility should start within your own organization. If you don’t advocate for your own employees, how can you truly support customers who also need the same accessibility features? 

Build Accessible Websites with Liferay DXP 

Accessibility doesn’t need to be a journey you navigate on your own. You can accelerate compliance with accessibility guidelines with a product that has been tested for compliance and aims to satisfy global accessibility requirements: Liferay Digital Experience Platform (DXP). 

Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) have evolved from content-centric CMSes toward a more customer-centric approach. DXPs seek to unify the customer experience across multiple digital and physical touchpoints, retain continuity across interactions, and use data aggregated from those interactions to drive context-aware personalization. But each DXP vendor can have differing levels of investment in accessibility. 

As one of the most flexible DXPs in the market, Liferay DXP gives you the tools you need to build the digital solutions you envision, including tools to support accessibility. 

Accessibility is a strategic priority for Liferay. We aim to create products that are accessible to use but also empower you to build inclusive solutions like websites, commerce sites, and customer portals. 

Liferay provides tools and features that facilitate the creation of accessible digital experiences. This includes built-in features like compliance checks for different accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG, WAI-ARIA), color contrast tools, keyboard navigation support, and alternative text generators for images. Our platform also enables developers to create accessible templates and components, ensuring consistency across the entire website.

In addition, Liferay DXP provides a Page Audit Tool to help evaluate your website against accessibility best practices to improve usability and ensure compliance with global regulations.

Want to see how Liferay DXP can not only help you build accessible websites, but also secure, personalized, and efficient websites? Request your demo at www.liferay.com/request-a-demo.