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.

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 Belgium for Online Shops

Q: 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.

By Compliance Editorial Team Updated July 5, 2026 4 min read

Accessibility (EAA)

If you run an online shop that sells to consumers in Belgium, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) almost certainly applies to you. Formally Directive (EU) 2019/882, the EAA has applied since 28 June 2025 and requires consumer-facing e-commerce to be accessible to people with disabilities. It is an EU directive, so its substance is common across the Union, but it is transposed and enforced through national law — and Belgium’s arrangements have some particular features worth understanding.

This guide explains what the EAA asks of an online seller supplying the Belgian market and how the Belgian system fits around it. For the wider framework, see our European Accessibility Act law page, the complete accessibility guide, and our Belgium compliance overview.

What the EAA requires of an online shop

The EAA treats consumer e-commerce as a covered service. In practice that means your website and checkout must be usable by people who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation or other assistive technology. The reference standard is EN 301 549, which for web content points to WCAG 2.1 level AA. Meeting those criteria is how a shop demonstrates it is accessible.

In concrete terms, the everyday things that make or break compliance include:

Sufficient colour contrast — a ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text, so content is readable for low-vision users.
Full keyboard navigation — every step, from browsing to payment, operable without a mouse.
Properly labelled checkout forms — each field programmatically associated with a visible label.
Alt text on meaningful images — so product visuals convey their information to screen-reader users.

How Belgium transposed the EAA

Belgium’s constitutional structure shapes how the Act arrives in national law. Because competences are shared between the federal state and the regions and communities, transposition of the EAA has taken place across both federal and regional legislation rather than in a single national statute. For a typical consumer e-commerce service the substantive requirements are the same wherever they sit — accessibility to EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA — but the legal instruments and the responsible authorities can differ depending on the aspect concerned.

Language and the Belgian context

Belgium is a multilingual country, and official information, guidance and any correspondence with authorities may be in Dutch, French or German depending on the region concerned. For an international seller that is worth planning for: the accessibility obligation itself is uniform, but the administrative touchpoints around it reflect Belgium’s language regions.

The microenterprise exemption

The EAA carves out an exemption for the smallest businesses providing services. A microenterprise — one with fewer than 10 staff and an annual turnover or balance-sheet total of no more than €2 million — is exempt from the service obligations, and an online shop is a service for these purposes. You must meet both thresholds to qualify; cross either and the exemption falls away.

The accessibility standard is the same EU-wide, but in Belgium the EAA is transposed across federal and regional law, and the administrative language follows the region.

Enforcement

Enforcement of the EAA is a national matter, carried out by the authorities Belgium has designated for the purpose. They can assess whether a covered service meets the requirements and act where it does not. The practical message for a shop is that accessibility is a live obligation, not a voluntary quality mark — being reachable and usable by disabled customers is expected of the service you offer.

A practical checklist for the Belgian market

Confirm whether you qualify for the microenterprise exemption (under 10 staff and ≤€2m).
Test your storefront and checkout against EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA.
Check colour contrast (aim for at least 4.5:1) and fix low-contrast text and buttons.
Make the whole purchase path keyboard-operable and label every checkout field.
Add alt text to product and informational images.

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

This article is educational and does not constitute legal advice.