European Accessibility Act (EAA)

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is EU Directive 2019/882, which harmonizes accessibility requirements for selected products and services across member states. In the Czech Republic it is implemented by law 424/2023 Sb. and has applied since 28 June 2025. For much of the private sector, this is the first time accessibility becomes a legal obligation rather than just good practice.

The Act targets mainly digital services for consumers: e-shops, online banking, booking and ticketing systems, telecoms, e-books, and access to audiovisual services. The technical standard is WCAG 2.1 level AA, formally through the harmonized standard EN 301 549 in the EU. In practice that means a site you can operate with a keyboard, with sufficient contrast, alt text on images, form labels, and a sensible heading structure.

Two exemptions and one deadline matter. Microenterprises providing services (fewer than 10 employees and a turnover or balance sheet total of up to EUR 2 million) are exempt from the requirements - but only for services, not products, and only until they outgrow those limits. And e-shops or services that were running before 28 June 2025 have a transition period until 28 June 2030.

The fine in the Czech Republic can reach CZK 10 million, although enforcement is still running mostly in an advisory mode - typically a warning and a deadline to fix things. Our view: treating this as a five-year plan and folding accessibility into your next redesign beats waiting until the last minute. Be wary of overlay widgets that promise compliance in one line of code - they don't deliver real accessibility.