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

Writing an Accessibility Statement for Your Online Shop

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 3 min read

Accessibility (EAA)

An accessibility statement tells your customers how usable your shop is for people with disabilities, which standard you aim to meet, and how to get in touch if something is not working for them. Under the European Accessibility Act it is good practice rather than a strict formal requirement, but it is one of the most useful pages you can publish. This guide explains what to include and gives you a short template to adapt.

Where the statement fits in

The European Accessibility Act (EAA), Directive (EU) 2019/882, has applied since 28 June 2025. It requires many e-commerce services to meet the harmonised technical standard EN 301 549, which in practice points to WCAG 2.1 level AA. An accessibility statement does not replace the technical work, but it documents your commitment, records where you stand, and gives users a clear route to report problems.

What to include

A good statement is honest and specific. Vague promises help no one. Aim to cover the following areas.

The standard you meet

State which standard you are working to, typically WCAG 2.1 AA as referenced by EN 301 549, and to what degree you meet it. Be plain about whether you are fully conformant, partially conformant, or still working towards conformance. Shoppers and auditors both value candour over a polished but empty claim.

Known limitations

List the parts of your shop that you know are not yet fully accessible. This might include a third-party payment widget, certain PDFs, or older product images without descriptive alternative text. Naming limitations honestly builds trust and shows you are managing the issues rather than hiding them. Where you can, add a rough timescale for fixing each item.

A contact and feedback route

Give people a clear way to tell you when something blocks them, and set an expectation for how quickly you will respond. An email address or a simple contact form is enough. The feedback route is arguably the single most important element, because it turns your statement into a living channel rather than a static declaration.

A short template

Use the following outline as a starting point and fill in the details for your own shop.

Introduction: who you are and your commitment to accessible service.
Standard met: the target standard, for example WCAG 2.1 AA under EN 301 549, and your level of conformance.
Scope: which pages, services and checkout flows the statement covers.
Known limitations: a frank list of areas that are not yet accessible, with timescales where possible.
Feedback route: how to report a barrier and how quickly you aim to reply.
Last reviewed: the date you last checked the statement and the underlying site.

Keeping it current

An accessibility statement is only useful if it reflects reality. Review it whenever you change your theme, add a module, or redesign checkout, and update the “last reviewed” date each time. If you fix a limitation you had listed, remove it. If you discover a new one, add it. Treat the statement as part of your ongoing accessibility work, not a one-off task.

A note on who this applies to

Not every business is bound by the EAA’s service requirements. Microenterprises providing services, defined as fewer than 10 staff and an annual turnover or balance-sheet total of no more than €2 million, are exempt from those service requirements. Even so, publishing a statement remains good practice and a straightforward way to welcome more customers.

For more, see our complete accessibility guide, the background on the Accessibility Act, and who must comply with the EAA.

This article is educational and does not constitute legal advice.