The EAA has been enforceable across all 27 EU countries since 28 June 2025.
of EU e-commerce checkouts fail accessibility audits.
Contentsquare Foundation, 2025
The first EAA lawsuits were filed in France — enforcement has begun.
Does the EAA apply to my store?
Most store owners assume this is only for big companies. It isn't. The Act applies based on who you sell to, not where you're based. Run the two checks on the right.
Very small businesses — under 10 staff and under €2M turnover — may be exempt for some services. Most growing stores don't qualify for that exemption.
- You sell products or services to consumers in the EUEven a handful of EU orders counts.
- You have 10+ employees OR €2M+ annual turnoverAbove either threshold, the microenterprise exemption doesn't apply.
Both true? The EAA almost certainly applies to your store.
How the scan works
No install, no code, no browser extension. Three steps from a URL to a prioritized fix list.
Paste your store URL
Drop in your homepage or a product page. That's the whole setup.
We scan against the real standards
EAAwatch checks your pages against WCAG 2.1 AA and EN 301 549 — the criteria the EAA points to.
Get a prioritized issue list
Each issue comes with a severity level and the exact success criterion it fails — so you know what to fix first.
Why we're not an accessibility overlay
Overlay widgets promise instant compliance from a single line of code. They don't deliver it. In 2025 the FTC fined an accessibility-overlay vendor $1 million for deceptively claiming its automated tool made websites compliant.
Here's the honest part most tools won't tell you: automated scans — including ours — only catch a portion of accessibility barriers. The rest need human judgment and testing with real assistive technology. We will never tell you a scan makes you compliant.
"One script and you're compliant." A quick fix that hides problems instead of solving them.
Gives you an honest, prioritized starting point — the real issues, ranked by impact, mapped to the standard.
Note: EAAwatch is a scanning and diagnostic tool. It does not provide legal advice and does not guarantee compliance with the EAA or any law.
Frequently asked questions
What is the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an EU directive requiring many products and services sold to EU consumers to be accessible to people with disabilities. For online stores, that means your website and checkout must meet recognized accessibility standards. It has been enforceable across all 27 EU member states since 28 June 2025.
Does the EAA apply to non-EU businesses?
Yes. The EAA applies based on where your customers are, not where your business is registered. If you sell products or services to consumers in the EU, the rules can apply even if your company is based in the US, UK or elsewhere.
What are the penalties for non-compliance?
Enforcement and penalties are set by each EU member state and vary by country. They can include fines, orders to fix your service, and in some cases suspension of the service. Beyond fines, non-compliant stores face legal complaints and lost customers. The first EAA-related lawsuits were filed in France in November 2025.
Is my Shopify store affected?
Very likely. The EAA applies to the store you operate, regardless of the platform underneath it. Shopify, WooCommerce and custom stores are all in scope if you sell to EU consumers and aren't an exempt microenterprise. Platform themes and apps aren't automatically compliant, so your specific store still needs to be checked.
What is an accessibility statement?
An accessibility statement is a public page describing how accessible your service is, which standard it aims to meet, known limitations, and how users can report problems or get help. Under the EAA, service providers are expected to publish information about how their service meets accessibility requirements.
No signup. Results in ~60 seconds.