Standards

EN 301 549

The European accessibility standard that EU procurement law and the European Accessibility Act cite. EN 301 549 wraps WCAG 2.1 AA and extends it with mobile + hardware requirements.

EN 301 549 is the European harmonised standard for accessibility of information and communication technology. It is the technical backbone that EU procurement law cites by reference, that the Web Accessibility Directive (2016/2102) operationalises for the public sector, and that the European Accessibility Act (2019/882) extends into the private sector.

What the standard covers

Unlike WCAG, EN 301 549 is not web-only. The standard runs to several hundred pages and addresses:

  • Chapter 5 — generic accessibility requirements (closed functionality, biometrics, privacy of accessibility features).
  • Chapter 6 — two-way voice communication.
  • Chapter 7 — video content (captions, audio description).
  • Chapter 9 — web content. Functionally equivalent to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
  • Chapter 10 — non-web documents (PDFs, ePub).
  • Chapter 11 — software, including mobile apps. Maps to WCAG with software-specific extensions.
  • Chapter 12 — documentation and support services.
  • Chapter 13 — accessibility statement requirements.

Hardware and physical environment requirements live in chapters 5 and 8.

The revision cycle

EN 301 549 is published by ETSI on behalf of CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI. The most-cited revisions:

  • v3.2.1 (March 2021) — referenced WCAG 2.1.
  • v3.2.2 (April 2024) — minor errata.
  • The next major revision is expected to pick up WCAG 2.2.

When a regulation cites “EN 301 549” without a version, the convention is “the latest published revision at the time of compliance.” So as the standard updates, the underlying obligation tracks with it.

How it interacts with WCAG

EN 301 549 chapter 9 is essentially a wrapper around WCAG 2.1 AA. A website that genuinely conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA conforms to EN 301 549 chapter 9. The chapters around it (10, 11) extend WCAG-style success criteria into PDFs, ePubs, and native software where WCAG itself doesn’t reach directly.

Why it matters

Public-sector procurement across the EU is legally required to use EN 301 549 as the accessibility specification. Under the EAA (effective 2025), the same standard becomes the implicit floor for private-sector products and services in scope (e-commerce, banking, transport, e-books).

For engineering teams: if you’re targeting EU markets, build to EN 301 549. Your WCAG 2.1 AA audit covers chapter 9; you’ll need targeted audits of chapter 11 if you ship native apps, and chapter 10 if you publish PDFs.