European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act is a EU policy which was made in 2019. It's not a law itself but a template for how an accesibility law in should be implemented in EU countries.

The german law based on this policy is the "Accessibility Strengthening Act". In german: Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, abbreviated: BFSG.

The policy has set a deadline for the laws to be implemented and enacted, which was end of June 2025. Due to this, there was (and still is) a lot of fearmongering in "professional" social media such as LinkedIn: Better get an accessible web page or get sued.

However, the BFSG doesn't apply to everyone. It doesn't apply to smaller companies with less than 10 people and an annual revenue less than 2 million €.

The policy is not only about web accessibility, but also accessibility in real life, such as accessible banking terminals and accessible public transport.

Some companies argue the law doesn't apply to them. For example, when they make B2B software, not targeted at end-users.

The EAA is over here: https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030/european-accessibility-act_en