The European Accessibility Act (EAA) has been in effect for one year, but most businesses are still catching up on accessibility. According to AudioEye’s 2026 Digital Accessibility Index, EU sites average 25% more accessibility issues per page than their U.S. counterparts.
Industry Comparison
The report found that EU professional services sites carry 44% more issues per page than comparable U.S. sites, while public and nonprofit organizations run 42% higher. However, EU tech companies are essentially on par with U.S. tech companies in terms of accessibility.
The same five Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) failures account for 40% of all detected issues globally, including missing image alt text, inaccessible link labels, and insufficient color contrast. These issues can prevent users from completing basic tasks and are often the subject of litigation.
Enforcement and Compliance
While there have been no major fines issued under the EAA, enforcement is starting to take shape across different countries and mechanisms. In France, disability organizations have issued formal legal notices to major retailers demanding their e-commerce platforms meet accessibility standards. In Norway, a healthcare portal faced daily fines for accessibility errors, and in Germany, e-commerce operators received warning letters citing accessibility violations.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
