What Does Latvia's Accessibility Law Require?

Latvia's accessibility law is its national transposition of the European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882, which has applied across the EU since 28 June 2025. For an online shop, the practical requirement is that consumer-facing e-commerce should be usable by people with a range of disabilities, measured against the harmonised standard EN 301 549 and, through it, WCAG 2.1 at level AA. What that means in practice The standard breaks down into a handful of concrete points that shape how a shop should be built and presented. Ordinary text should meet a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background. The whole checkout should work with a keyboard alone, without needing a mouse. Checkout form fields should carry clear, programmatic labels. Meaningful images, including product photos, should have descriptive alternative text. Who is covered Microenterprises providing services — broadly, fewer than ten staff and no more than two million euros in turnover or balance-sheet total — may be exempt from the service obligations, so a very small shop should check whether it falls inside or outside the scope before acting. The Latvian angle Because the Act is transposed into national law, it is Latvian authorities that supervise it locally, and consumer-facing information is expected in Latvian. Enforcement practice can develop over time, so treat the local detail as something to revisit. Our complete accessibility guide covers the requirements in more depth. This answer is educational, not legal advice.

Are Estonian Microenterprises Exempt From the EAA?

Often, yes. The European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882, exempts microenterprises that provide services from its service obligations. Since consumer e-commerce is a service, a genuinely small shop selling into Estonia may fall outside the requirements. The Act has applied across the EU since 28 June 2025 and reaches Estonia through national transposition. What counts as a microenterprise The test has two parts, and both must be satisfied. A microenterprise is a business with fewer than ten staff and either an annual turnover or a balance-sheet total of no more than two million euros. If you are under the headcount but over the financial figure, or the other way round, you are not a microenterprise for this purpose. Fewer than ten staff, and Annual turnover or balance-sheet total of no more than two million euros. Why the exemption is worth checking carefully A shop that grows past either threshold loses the exemption, so it is not a status to assume once and forget. Accessibility work also helps every customer, not only those the law has in mind, so meeting the benchmark — broadly EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 AA — is rarely wasted even if you are exempt today. The Estonian angle Because the Act is transposed into national law, it is Estonian authorities that supervise it locally, and consumer-facing information is expected in Estonian. Enforcement practice can develop over time, so treat the local detail as something to revisit. Our complete accessibility guide covers the requirements in more depth. This answer is educational, not legal advice.

Which Standard Must Luxembourg Shops Meet for Accessibility?

For most online shops, the benchmark is the harmonised European standard EN 301 549, which draws on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG 2.1, at level AA. This is the technical yardstick behind the European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882, which has applied across the EU since 28 June 2025 and reaches Luxembourg through national transposition. What WCAG 2.1 AA means in practice The standard sounds technical, but for a shop it translates into a handful of practical points that make the buying journey usable for people with a range of disabilities. Ordinary text should meet a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background. The whole checkout should work with a keyboard alone, without needing a mouse. Checkout form fields should carry clear, programmatic labels. Meaningful images, including product photos, should have descriptive alternative text. The Luxembourg angle The standard itself is common across the EU, but it is enforced locally through Luxembourg's national transposition and its own authorities. Luxembourg is multilingual, with French, German and Luxembourgish in everyday use, so an accessible shop should also present clearly in the languages its customers use. Microenterprises providing services — broadly, fewer than ten staff and no more than two million euros in turnover or balance-sheet total — may be exempt from the service obligations, so it is worth checking whether you fall inside or outside the scope. Enforcement practice can develop over time, so treat the local detail as something to revisit. Our complete accessibility guide covers the requirements in more depth. This answer is educational, not legal advice.

Does the EAA Apply to Bulgarian Webshops?

In most cases, yes. The European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882, has applied across the European Union since 28 June 2025, and consumer-facing e-commerce is one of the services within its scope. Because it is a Directive, it reaches shops selling into Bulgaria through Bulgaria's own national transposition, and it is enforced by Bulgarian authorities. The main exception The most important exception is the microenterprise exemption. Microenterprises that provide services are outside the Act's service obligations. A microenterprise here means a business with fewer than ten staff and either an annual turnover or a balance-sheet total of no more than two million euros. A very small shop may therefore sit outside the requirements, though it is worth confirming the figures before relying on that. What the Act requires if it applies If the Act does apply, the technical benchmark is the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which draws on WCAG 2.1 at level AA. In everyday terms that means a shop should work for people with a range of disabilities. Ordinary text should meet a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. The checkout should work with a keyboard alone. Checkout form fields should be clearly labelled, and meaningful images should have alternative text. The Bulgarian angle Because the Act is transposed into national law, it is Bulgarian authorities that supervise it locally, and consumer-facing information is expected in Bulgarian. Enforcement practice can develop over time, so treat the local detail as something to revisit. Our complete accessibility guide covers the requirements in more depth. This answer is educational, not legal advice.

When Did the Accessibility Act Start in Finland?

The European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882, has applied across the European Union since 28 June 2025, and Finland is no exception. Because it is a Directive, it is transposed into Finnish law and supervised by a Finnish authority, but the date from which consumer-facing e-commerce is expected to be accessible is that EU-wide start of 28 June 2025. What now applies From that date, an ordinary online shop selling to consumers is generally expected to meet EN 301 549, which for websites points to WCAG 2.1 at level AA. In practice that means a short list of things a customer with a disability actually experiences. Enough contrast between text and background — a ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Keyboard navigation through the whole shop, including the checkout. Properly labelled checkout form fields for screen readers. Alt text on images that carry meaning. The Finnish angle A microenterprise providing services — fewer than ten people and turnover or balance-sheet total of no more than two million euro — is exempt from the service duties, though accessibility remains good practice. Finland has two national languages, so consumer-facing text should read clearly in Finnish and, where relevant, Swedish. Enforcement practice can develop over time, so revisit the local detail. Our complete accessibility guide covers the requirements in more depth. This answer is educational, not legal advice.

Guide

The EU Accessibility Act in Austria for Online Shops

By Compliance Editorial Team Updated July 5, 2026 3 min read

Accessibility (EAA)

Selling to consumers in Austria brings you within the European Accessibility Act (EAA). The Act — Directive (EU) 2019/882 — has applied since 28 June 2025 and requires consumer-facing e-commerce to be accessible to people with disabilities. As a directive it is transposed nationally, and in Austria the relevant national law is the Barrierefreiheitsgesetz (BaFG), the Accessibility Act that gives the EAA effect in Austrian law.

This guide explains what the EAA requires of an online seller supplying Austrian consumers and how the Austrian framework fits around it. For the wider picture, see our European Accessibility Act law page and the complete accessibility guide.

What the standard requires

The EAA treats online shops as a covered service and requires them to be accessible. The technical benchmark is EN 301 549, which for websites aligns with WCAG 2.1 level AA. Meeting that standard is how you show your shop is accessible under the Austrian Barrierefreiheitsgesetz.

The practical building blocks are the same everyday things that determine whether a disabled customer can complete a purchase:

Colour contrast of at least 4.5:1 for normal text.
Keyboard navigation across the entire browse-and-buy journey.
Labelled checkout forms, with each field tied to a clear label.
Alt text on images that carry meaning.

The Barrierefreiheitsgesetz

Austria transposed the EAA through the Barrierefreiheitsgesetz. This is the national statute that turns the directive’s requirements into binding Austrian obligations and sets out how they are supervised. For a consumer e-commerce service the core duty is straightforward: the shop must be accessible to the EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA standard.

The national framework operates in German

The Austrian legislation, official guidance and any dealings with the supervising authority are conducted in German. The accessibility requirement itself is uniform across the EU, but if your team does not routinely work in German it is worth planning for the national terminology and any correspondence to be in the language.

The microenterprise exemption

The EAA exempts the smallest service providers. A microenterprise — fewer than 10 staff and turnover or balance-sheet total of no more than €2 million — is not subject to the service obligations, and an online shop counts as a service here. Both thresholds must be satisfied; exceed either one and the exemption no longer applies. Even where it does, building an accessible shop remains good practice and widens your customer base.

In Austria the EAA lives in the Barrierefreiheitsgesetz — same EU standard, national enforcement, and a framework that operates in German.

Enforcement

Enforcement sits with the authority Austria has designated under the Barrierefreiheitsgesetz. It can check whether a covered service meets the requirements and take action where it falls short. For an online shop the sensible posture is to treat accessibility as an ongoing operational requirement rather than a one-off project.

A practical checklist for the Austrian market

Check whether you qualify for the microenterprise exemption (under 10 staff and ≤€2m).
Audit your storefront and checkout against EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA.
Fix colour contrast to at least 4.5:1 for text.
Ensure full keyboard operation and label all checkout fields.
Add alt text to meaningful images.

If you would like a structured review of how your store performs for disabled customers in Austria, our PrestaShop compliance audit checks your storefront and checkout against the applicable accessibility criteria.

This article is educational and does not constitute legal advice.