Web Accessibility Directive

The EU Web Accessibility Directive — Directive (EU) 2016/2102 — was the EU’s first cross-border accessibility regulation specifically targeting digital. Adopted in October 2016 and in force across all member states from September 2018, the WAD covers public-sector websites and (from June 2021) public-sector mobile apps.

What it requires

Public-sector bodies — defined broadly to include central government, regional government, local authorities, public universities and hospitals, and bodies governed by public law — must:

1. Make websites and mobile apps accessible per a harmonised standard. EN 301 549 was named as the standard, so in practice this means WCAG 2.x Level AA for web content (currently 2.1, transitioning to 2.2 as EN 301 549 updates).
2. Publish an accessibility statement per Article 7, with content prescribed by Commission Implementing Decision 2018/1523. Each member state has slightly different templates; all include conformance claim, known issues, contact details, and complaint pathway.
3. Provide a feedback mechanism by which any user can report accessibility problems and receive a response within a reasonable period (typically 30 days in member-state implementations).
4. Be periodically monitored by a designated national body. The Commission publishes a monitoring methodology; member-state monitoring bodies sample sites annually and report results to the Commission triennially.

Implementations across member states

The WAD is a directive, meaning each member state had to transpose it into national law. Notable implementations:

• Germany — Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz (BGG) plus the BITV technical regulation.
• France — RGAA (Référentiel général d’amélioration de l’accessibilité), already in place from 2009 and updated to satisfy the WAD.
• UK (pre-Brexit, retained post-Brexit) — PSBAR 2018 (Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations).
• Spain — Real Decreto 1112/2018.
• Netherlands — Tijdelijk besluit digitale toegankelijkheid overheid.

Each adds a national monitoring body, complaint pathway, and (often) enforcement penalty regime on top of the WAD’s substantive requirements.

Relationship to the EAA

The WAD covers the public sector. The European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882, in force 28 June 2025) covers the private sector for a defined set of products and services. The two are complementary; the WAD continues to apply to public bodies, the EAA extends comparable requirements to consumer-facing private services.

A web platform that’s used by both public bodies (under the WAD) and private companies (under the EAA) must satisfy both, but the technical standard — EN 301 549, i.e. WCAG 2.1 AA for web — is the same.

What this means for non-EU companies

If you provide digital services to a European public-sector buyer, your platform must meet the WAD’s accessibility standards. Most EU public-sector procurement now requires WAD-compliance documentation in the RFP response. A current VPAT mapped to EN 301 549 covers this adequately.