Full article coming soon. This page outlines what it will cover. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
On this page
- What is the European Accessibility Act?
- Who does it apply to?
- What it means for images
- Enforcement and risk
- A practical checklist
- FAQ
What is the European Accessibility Act?
- Plain-English summary of the Directive (EU) 2019/882.
- Key date: applies from 28 June 2025.
- How it relates to EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 AA.
Who does it apply to?
- E-commerce, banking, transport, e-books and other covered services.
- Businesses outside the EU that sell to EU customers.
- Micro-enterprise exemptions and what they do (and don’t) cover.
What it means for images
- WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content: every meaningful image needs a text alternative.
- Decorative images: correct use of empty alt.
- Charts, diagrams and infographics: short alt plus a full text or table equivalent.
- Images of text and functional images (links, buttons).
Enforcement and risk
- How member states enforce it; penalties vary by country.
- Accessibility statements and complaints routes.
A practical checklist
- Audit your current image library.
- Fix missing and junk alt text first, then review decorative images.
- Add data tables for charts.
- Build alt text into your upload workflow so new images stay compliant.
FAQ
- Does alt text alone make my site compliant? (No, it’s one requirement of many.)
- Does AI-generated alt text count?
- Does this apply to the UK?
See where your site stands
Run a free check for missing and poor alt text across a sample of your pages.