Are microenterprises exempt from the European Accessibility Act?

Sometimes, but only in a narrow case. The European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882, exempts microenterprises that provide services from the service-accessibility obligations. To qualify as a microenterprise, a business must meet both of these conditions: It employs fewer than 10 people; andIts annual turnover or annual balance-sheet total does not exceed EUR 2 million. Both conditions must be satisfied. A business with 8 staff but EUR 5 million in turnover is not a microenterprise for this purpose, and neither is a business under the turnover ceiling that employs 15 people. Because an e-commerce store is a service, a genuinely micro operator providing e-commerce services can fall within this exemption. The limits of the exemption The exemption is real but should be treated cautiously, for several reasons. It is for services. The relief is aimed at microenterprises providing services. Businesses that manufacture, import or distribute the products covered by the EAA face different treatment, so a micro service exemption should not be read as a blanket products exemption.You can grow out of it. The moment you cross either the staff or the financial ceiling, the exemption stops applying, and accessibility work is far cheaper to build in early than to retrofit later.National implementation matters. The EAA is a directive transposed by each Member State, and the exact scope and any additional expectations can vary, so check the rules in the countries you sell to.Accessibility is still good practice. Even where you qualify, an accessible store reaches more customers and reduces legal and reputational risk. In short, the microenterprise exemption exists for the smallest service providers meeting both the staff and financial tests, but it is narrow, easy to grow out of, and not a reason to ignore accessible design. This answer is a general explanation, not legal advice. Thresholds and national implementation can change, so confirm the current position for the countries you sell to before you rely on the exemption.

Who must comply with the European Accessibility Act?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA), Directive (EU) 2019/882, applies to a range of products and services from 28 June 2025. For merchants, the key point is that it covers e-commerce services — the sale of goods or services to consumers through a website or mobile app. If you run a consumer-facing online shop trading into the EU, the default assumption is that you are in scope. The obligation is to make the shopping experience accessible to persons with disabilities, judged against the standard EN 301 549, which references WCAG 2.1 level AA. The microenterprise exemption The main carve-out is for microenterprises that provide services. A microenterprise has fewer than 10 staff and an annual turnover or balance-sheet total of €2 million or less. Because e-commerce is a service, a shop that meets this definition is exempt from the service obligations. Two things to remember. First, both the staff test and the financial test are part of the definition, so check your numbers carefully and keep records. Second, the exemption applies while you are micro — if your business grows past the threshold, the obligation applies, so building accessibly now saves rework later. Who is generally not the target The EAA is aimed at business-to-consumer selling. A shop that trades purely with other businesses is a different case from a public consumer store. If you are unsure which side of the line you fall on, treat accessibility as the safer default — it reduces legal risk and widens your customer base either way. For the full picture, see the European Accessibility Act hub and our complete accessibility guide.

Guide

EU Accessibility Act in France: RGAA & Online Shops

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

Accessibility (EAA)

The European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882 (EAA), requires that a range of products and services, including e-commerce services, be accessible to people with disabilities. It applies from 28 June 2025. If you run a PrestaShop store selling to French consumers, the EAA sets the baseline, and France has its own established accessibility framework, the RGAA, that shapes how accessibility is assessed in practice.

This guide explains how the EAA applies in France, how it relates to the RGAA and the general accessibility obligation, who enforces it, and the technical standard, WCAG 2.1 AA, that underpins the whole regime. For the wider picture, see the accessibility law hub and our complete accessibility guide.

What the EAA requires of an online shop

For e-commerce, the EAA means the service a customer uses to browse, choose and buy must be accessible. In practice this points to the harmonised European standard EN 301 549, which for web content aligns with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1 at level AA. That covers things such as perceivable text alternatives for images, sufficient colour contrast, keyboard operability, clear focus order, properly labelled forms and content that works with assistive technologies like screen readers.

The accessibility obligation attaches to the whole purchase journey: product listings, search and filtering, the basket, checkout, account creation and the information you provide about accessibility itself. A visually attractive store that a screen-reader user cannot navigate to complete a purchase is the core problem the EAA addresses.

France’s RGAA framework

France has a well-developed accessibility reference framework known as the RGAA (Referentiel general d’amelioration de l’accessibilite, the general framework for improving accessibility). The RGAA operationalises WCAG-based criteria into a structured set of tests and a methodology, and it has long been the reference used for public-sector digital accessibility in France. It provides a concrete, auditable way to check whether a site meets the underlying WCAG success criteria.

For a private online shop, the practical value of the RGAA is that it turns the abstract EAA obligation into a checklist you can actually test against. Even where a specific RGAA obligation is framed around public bodies or larger operators, the RGAA is the natural French-language reference for demonstrating, in concrete terms, that your store meets WCAG 2.1 AA.

The general accessibility obligation and its scope

France’s general accessibility obligation historically applied to public services and to large private operators above certain size or turnover thresholds, requiring them to publish an accessibility statement and multi-year plan. The EAA broadens the picture for e-commerce services specifically, so a French online shop should look at both the EAA requirement for accessible e-commerce and the French framework that assesses it. Where thresholds and exemptions apply, they should be checked against the current national rules rather than assumed.

The microenterprise exemption

The EAA exempts microenterprises that provide services where they have fewer than 10 staff and an annual turnover or balance-sheet total not exceeding EUR 2 million. Both conditions must be met. This can relieve the smallest e-commerce operators of the service-accessibility obligation, but it is a narrow exemption tied to genuinely micro scale, and it does not remove the broader case for accessible design. As you grow past the threshold, the exemption falls away.

Enforcement context

Consumer-facing and market-conduct rules in France are overseen by the DGCCRF (Direction generale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la repression des fraudes), the general directorate for competition, consumer affairs and fraud control. Accessibility supervision in France also involves dedicated oversight of the accessibility framework. Rather than fixating on specific penalty figures, treat accessible design as the reliable, lower-cost path and document your conformance.

A practical checklist for French shops

Audit your PrestaShop store against WCAG 2.1 AA across the full purchase journey.
Use the RGAA as your French-language reference and test methodology.
Fix common gaps: image alt text, colour contrast, keyboard operability, labelled forms, focus order.
Check whether you meet the microenterprise exemption, remembering both conditions must apply.
Publish clear accessibility information and keep evidence of your conformance testing.

Related and next steps

This guide is a general explanation, not legal advice. The interaction of the EAA, the RGAA and French national thresholds can change, so confirm the current requirements with the official sources and the DGCCRF before you rely on them.

What the EAA requires of an online shop

France’s RGAA framework

The general accessibility obligation and its scope

The microenterprise exemption

Enforcement context

A practical checklist for French shops

Related and next steps

Related reading

Are microenterprises exempt from the European Accessibility Act?

Omnibus & Price-Reduction Rules in France

GPSR in France: What PrestaShop Sellers Must Do

European Accessibility Act (EAA)