What is the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and who does it apply to?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an EU directive covering selected products and consumer services, including e-commerce. It is transposed into Slovak law by Act No. 351/2022 Coll. For a specific business, however, the type of service, transitional provisions and any exemptions must be verified.
A common problem: it is unclear whether the obligation applies to you
The EAA does not automatically apply to every website. What matters is whether you provide one of the services within the scope of the directive and Slovak law, whom you provide it to and whether an exemption applies. For an online shop, the assessment focuses primarily on the consumer e-commerce service, not merely on the existence of a website.
The Slovak Act does not apply to services provided by microenterprises. Whether a business meets the definition of a microenterprise and whether it has other obligations must be confirmed under current law and in light of its specific activities; this article provides general guidance, not legal advice.
How to approach a technical assessment
The legal requirements are expressed in functional terms. A technical assessment uses relevant standards and WCAG criteria; the applicable version must be stated based on the purpose of the audit and the governing framework. We use WCAG 2.2 as the current professional target, not as an automatic guarantee of legal compliance. In practice, we check matters such as whether:
- the website can be operated fully with a keyboard, not only with a mouse;
- text has sufficient contrast and can be enlarged without loss of content;
- images have meaningful alternative descriptions;
- form fields have clear labels and errors are also announced to screen readers;
- content works with screen readers and follows a logical order.
It is important to combine tools with human assessment. A scanner can detect some code-level errors, but a person must judge whether alternative text is meaningful, whether the reading order is logical and whether the interface is genuinely usable. Keyboard scenarios also often require a targeted functional test rather than a static scan alone.
What already applies and what the risks are
The rules have applied since 28 June 2025, and the Act also contains transitional provisions. Supervision and penalties depend on the type of product or service and the circumstances of the case. For consumer services, the Slovak Trade Inspection may be the relevant authority. The precise legal procedure must be assessed individually.
What an early assessment gives you
You receive a list of specific barriers, a prioritised remediation plan and technical evidence for further decisions. Automated checks can continuously monitor the machine-testable portion, while manual verification covers keyboard use, screen readers and the meaning of the content.
Next step
First confirm whether the service falls within the scope of the Act, then map the key user journeys. If you would like to discuss the technical scope of an assessment, arrange a no-obligation consultation.