Time to prepare for EU mandatory accessibility web design
Are your web services prepared for next year's mandatory change in accessibility design? The goal is a more inclusive digital world, enabling individuals with disabilities to interact with online services more easily. Your website, with some exceptions, must be ready for The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the European Accessibility Act (EAA) by June 2025.
Contact us for helpThe EAA ensures a unified accessibility standard for websites, mobile apps, and other digital services for both businesses and the public sector across the EU. Meanwhile, WCAG offers the technical guidance to achieve this standard. Non-compliance with these regulations can result in fines, making WCAG adherence essential for businesses.
As of 28 June 2025, companies must ensure that the newly marketed products and services covered by the Act are accessible. However, even older web services will be affected since updates such as a new product or page must be adapted to the latest WCAG guidelines.
The affected services
Phone services
Banking services
E-commerce
Websites, mobile services, electronic tickets and all sources of information for air, bus, rail and waterborne transport services
E-books
Access to Audio-visual media services (AVMS)
Calls to the European emergency number 112
The affected products
Computers and operating systems
Smartphones and other communication devices
TV equipment related to digital television services
ATMs and payment terminals (e.g., card payment machines in supermarkets)
E-readers
Even if you are exempt from the above, you are likely affected. For example, if your website doesn't contain any e-commerce service but has a contact form used for lead generation or accessing content, it constitutes an exchange, making compliance necessary.
Bombayworks WCAG experience
Bombayworks has worked with WCAG since 2014, and most of our work since then has been built with this in mind. For example, in 2018, we created a platform for Norwegian-owned Orkla, and the design outcome was critical since WCAG has been mandatory for many years in Norway. For Orkla, we created 150 brand sites.
– Following these rules can seem tricky, but limiting your design actually makes the work easier, says Fredrik Tillgren, Head of Design at Bombayworks.
Do you need help determining whether your site meets the requirements? Bombayworks' test team can conduct thorough accessibility audits and provide a detailed report on what you need to work with.
With WCAG, the Internet works for everyone
Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), WCAG outlines best practices for digital accessibility under four principles:
Content must be presented so users can perceive it (e.g., screen readers for the visually impaired).
Users should be able to navigate and interact with web content effectively, regardless of their disability.
Information must be understandable, presented clearly, and comprehended by all users.
Content must be adaptable to different devices and assistive technologies.
– 217 million people have impaired vision, and 36 million are blind. 16% of the world's population has some form of disability (source: WHO). It is a large group of consumers that needs to be included, says Fredrik Tillgren.
Exceptions for smaller companies
Some small businesses will be exempt from specific compliance requirements related to WCAG 2025. Companies with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover under €2 million are generally excluded from many of the obligations. If so, that doesn’t mean your web service should be designed differently.
– We think inclusively quite naturally right from the start of a project, no matter how big the project is. It has become a clarity of mind for us, says Fredrik Tillgren.
