The EAA is in force. And it costs.
Everything you should know before receiving a notice: the timeline, the penalties, the companies already sued, and the legal framework country by country.
€250,000
Maximum fine per confirmed non-compliance
French law of 9 March 2023, art. L. 412-1 — transposing EU Directive 2019/882
From directive to penalty.
Six years between the EU vote and the date your business becomes liable. The grace period is over.
- 01
17 April 2019
EU Directive 2019/882 adopted
The European Parliament votes the European Accessibility Act. Member states have until 28 June 2022 to transpose it.
- 02
9 March 2023
French transposition law
Law n° 2023-171 transposes the EAA into French law. It introduces fines up to €250,000 for legal entities.
- 03
28 June 2025
Application — new sites
Any new e-commerce site launched after this date must be compliant immediately. No grace period.
- 04
July 2025
First formal complaints filed
Disability rights associations file the first formal complaints against Auchan, Carrefour, E. Leclerc and Picard.
- 05
28 June 2030
End of grace for legacy sites
Sites created before June 2025 must be compliant — unless they can demonstrate an active remediation effort.
Four major retailers, hit in the first month.
French disability-rights associations like Valentin Haüy and APF France handicap are not waiting. Here are the first formal actions filed after the EAA took effect.
Auchan
⚠ Formal notice// July 2025
Checkout flow unusable with screen readers
Carrefour
⚠ Formal notice// July 2025
Form fields without labels, insufficient contrast on promo banners
E. Leclerc
⚠ Formal notice// July 2025
Customer area not navigable by keyboard
Picard
⚠ Formal notice// July 2025
Product images without alternative text
The sources and case numbers are public. If you run a store with fewer than 250 employees, you're the next target: large retailers can afford to defend themselves; you cannot.
What's actually required.
"Products and services subject to the accessibility requirements set out in this Directive shall be designed and produced in such a way as to maximise their foreseeable use by persons with disabilities and shall be accompanied where possible in or on the product by accessible information on their functioning and on their accessibility features."
// Directive (EU) 2019/882, article 4 §1
→Plain English: your store must be usable by a person who is blind, low-vision, deaf or has a motor disability. Not on the surface — actually.
You, most likely.
The EAA applies to every economic operator offering goods or services in the EU — including online stores. A few concrete cases:
// scénario 01
You sell to consumers (B2C)
All B2C e-commerce sites fall within the EAA's scope, regardless of size.
// scénario 02
You have under 10 employees AND under €2M revenue
But only if you declare it explicitly. And the exemption doesn't apply to sites created after 28 June 2025.
// scénario 03
You sell only B2B
B2B services are less covered, but the EAA does apply to payment interfaces and online customer support.
// scénario 04
You're an agency managing 10 client stores
Each client store is individually liable. But the technical fault will land on you contractually.
Where you can be sued.
The EAA is an EU directive, but each member state has transposed it with its own authorities and its own penalty ceilings.
| Pays | Loi | Autorité | Amende max. |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | Law n° 2023-171 of 9 March 2023 | DGCCRF | €250,000 |
| Germany | Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) | Federal market surveillance authorities | €100,000 |
| Spain | Real Decreto 193/2023 | Ministry of Social Rights | €600,000 |
| Italy | Legislative Decree 82/2022 (updated Stanca Act) | AgID | €40,000 |
| Rest of EU | National transpositions of Directive 2019/882 | Varies | Depends on country |
You need an audit. Now.
A ComplAudit audit costs €225 and takes 5 to 20 minutes. A formal notice costs a lawyer. A court ruling costs €250 000. Do the math.
→ Start my audit · €225