Web Accessibility Directive definition
The Web Accessibility Directive, (EU) 2016/2102, is the EU law that requires public sector websites and mobile apps to be accessible. In practice that means meeting WCAG 2.1 level AA through the standard EN 301 549 and publishing an accessibility statement.
The directive was adopted in October 2016, and member states had until 23 September 2018 to write it into national law. It sets a minimum. Countries were free to go further, and Finland did: its Act on the Provision of Digital Services (306/2019) also reaches banking and insurance services, among others.
Who does it apply to?
Public sector bodies. That means central and local government, plus bodies governed by public law, the EU procurement term for organisations set up to serve the general interest and mainly financed or controlled by the state. Public service broadcasters are outside its scope, and member states could leave out schools and kindergartens apart from their essential online administrative services.
What does it require?
- Websites and apps must meet the requirements of the harmonised standard EN 301 549, whose current versions incorporate WCAG 2.1 level AA.
- Each site needs an accessibility statement that lists what isn't accessible and why, with a way for users to report problems.
- A national authority monitors compliance and reports to the European Commission.
The requirements applied in stages: from 23 September 2019 to websites published after 23 September 2018, from 23 September 2020 to all other websites, and from 23 June 2021 to mobile apps.
How is it different from the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act, (EU) 2019/882, reaches the private sector. Since 28 June 2025 it has applied to certain products, such as payment terminals and e-readers, and to consumer services including e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books and passenger transport ticketing. Microenterprises are exempt from its service requirements.
The two are easy to confuse, and in Finnish they often share a name. People say saavutettavuusdirektiivi for both, although Finnish authorities call the EAA esteettömyysdirektiivi. If you sell only to businesses, neither one is likely to apply to your marketing site directly.
Related terms
- Web accessibilityWeb accessibility means building websites that people with disabilities can perceive and operate, whether they listen to the page through a screen reader or navigate it by keyboard alone. It is measured against the WCAG guidelines, usually at level AA.
- Alt textAlt text is a short written description of an image, stored in the alt attribute of an HTML img element. Screen readers read it aloud and browsers show it when the image fails to load. Good alt text says what the image means in that spot on the page.