EAA Timeline: Key Dates and Deadlines You Need to Know

The European Accessibility Act didn't appear overnight. It's been in development since 2015, with key milestones spread across more than a decade. Some deadlines have passed, some are current, and one important one doesn't hit until 2030.

Here's every date that matters, what happened (or will happen) at each one, and what it means for your business.

The complete EAA timeline

December 2015 - European Commission proposal

The European Commission published its initial proposal for the European Accessibility Act. The proposal aimed to harmonise accessibility requirements across the EU single market, replacing the patchwork of national laws that made cross-border trade in accessible products and services unnecessarily complex.

March 2019 - Directive adopted

The European Parliament and Council formally adopted Directive (EU) 2019/882 - the European Accessibility Act. After three years of negotiation, the final text was agreed. The directive entered into force on June 27, 2019, giving member states three years to transpose it into national law.

This date matters because it's when the legal framework was finalised. The scope, exemptions, and enforcement structure were all locked in at this point.

June 28, 2022 - Transposition deadline

All 27 EU member states were required to adopt national laws implementing the EAA by this date. This means each country had to pass its own legislation reflecting the directive's requirements.

Most member states met this deadline, though some were late. The key outcomes:

• - **Germany** passed the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) in July 2021, ahead of schedule
• - **France** integrated EAA requirements into existing accessibility legislation
• - **Spain** passed Royal Decree-Law 11/2023
• - **Ireland** passed the European Accessibility Act 2024 (slightly late)
• - **Italy** adopted Legislative Decree 82/2022

For a complete breakdown of how each country transposed the directive, visit our EAA country pages - we cover all 27 member states.

This date matters because it's when the rules became concrete. Before transposition, the EAA was an abstract directive. After transposition, it became enforceable national law in each country, with specific penalties and enforcement bodies.

June 28, 2025 - Enforcement begins

This is the date the EAA became enforceable. From this point:

• - All **new products** placed on the market must be accessible
• - All **new services** provided to consumers must be accessible
• - Market surveillance authorities can investigate, issue warnings, and impose [penalties](/blog/eaa-non-compliance-penalties)
• - Consumers and disability organisations can file formal complaints

This deadline has already passed. If your business provides covered products or services and you haven't started compliance work, you are technically in violation now.

Who is affected: Any business that provides covered services (e-commerce, banking, telecommunications, transport booking, streaming, e-books) or places covered products on the EU market. Not sure if that includes you? Use our EAA Scope Checker.

June 28, 2027 - First reporting deadline

Member states must report to the European Commission on the application of the directive by this date. This report must include:

• - An overview of enforcement actions taken
• - The number of complaints received
• - A market surveillance summary
• - An assessment of the effectiveness of the measures

This date matters because it will trigger the first EU-wide review of enforcement patterns. Countries that have been slow to enforce may face pressure to increase their activity. Countries that have been active will set the benchmark.

For businesses, this is a signal: if enforcement has been light in your country during the first two years, it may ramp up after this reporting deadline.

June 28, 2030 - Existing services deadline

This is the final and often overlooked deadline. Services that were already being provided before June 28, 2025 - the "existing services" - get an additional five-year transition period to comply.

After June 28, 2030, all services must be accessible, regardless of when they launched.

This is a significant deadline because:

• - Many businesses interpreted the 2025 deadline as applying only to new services and are using this extended period to remediate existing ones
• - The five-year grace period for existing services ends here - no further extensions
• - By 2030, enforcement infrastructure will be mature and active

Important nuance: This transition period applies to services that were already in the market before June 28, 2025, and have not been substantially modified since. If you significantly update your existing service (major redesign, new feature launch, platform migration), it may be considered a "new" service and subject to the 2025 deadline instead.

June 28, 2030 - Also: the five-year review

The European Commission must review the directive's application by this date and report to the European Parliament and Council. This review may lead to amendments - including potentially expanding the scope, adjusting exemptions, or tightening requirements.

Country-specific variations

While the key dates above apply across the EU, individual member states have introduced their own variations:

Earlier deadlines

• - **Germany** implemented accessibility requirements for certain public sector services ahead of the EAA timeline under its existing BITV framework
• - **France** has had accessibility requirements for public sector websites since 2005 under RGAA, and extended these to large private companies

Stricter interpretations

• - **Ireland** included criminal penalties not required by the directive
• - **Spain** set higher maximum fines than many other member states
• - **Netherlands** tied penalties to annual turnover, potentially resulting in the highest fines in the EU for large companies

Extended transition periods

Some member states have allowed additional transition time for specific sectors or service types. Check our individual country pages for details.

What you should be doing at each stage

Right now (post-June 2025 enforcement)

If you provide covered services or products:

• **Confirm your scope** - use the [EAA Scope Checker](/tools/eaa-scope-checker) to determine if and how the EAA applies
• **Audit your digital presence** - [scan your website](/) to identify current accessibility issues
• **Fix critical issues first** - prioritise barriers that completely block access (keyboard navigation, missing form labels, absent alt text)
• **Publish an accessibility statement** - use our [accessibility statement generator](/tools/accessibility-statement-generator) to create one
• **Set up monitoring** - catch regressions before they become complaints

If you have an existing pre-2025 service

You have until June 28, 2030, but don't wait:

• - **Start planning now** - four years sounds like a lot, but accessibility remediation on large services takes significant time
• - **Build accessibility into every update** - any substantial modification could move you to the 2025 deadline
• - **Create a roadmap** - plan to achieve compliance well before 2030 to avoid a last-minute rush

If you're a new service launching now

You must be accessible from day one:

• - **Build accessibly from the start** - it's 10x cheaper than retrofitting
• - **Use a [multi-engine scanner](/) during development** - catch issues before they reach production
• - **Integrate accessibility testing into your [CI/CD pipeline](/blog/accessibility-scanning-cicd-pipeline-5-minutes)** - block deploys that break accessibility

The bottom line

The EAA's enforcement has begun. The question isn't whether you need to comply - it's how quickly you can get there. Businesses that started early are already compliant. Those that haven't started are accumulating risk with every day that passes.

The June 2030 deadline for existing services is not a reason to delay. It's a backstop, not a target. Start your compliance work now, and use the remaining time to achieve thorough, sustainable accessibility rather than scrambling for a minimum viable fix.