The European Accessibility Act deadline has passed — now what?

Declan Behan Declan Behan

Photoshopped image of a referee showing a red card to a soccer player wearing France’s number 10 jersey, with the player’s face replaced by the Carrefour supermarket logo.

For years, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) has been a looming deadline in the background of digital business in Europe. That deadline passed on June 28, 2025. Now, the first real-world consequences are here and France has been the first country to act.

In July 2025 four of France’s biggest grocery retailers Auchan, Carrefour, E. Leclerc, and Picard received legal notices for failing to meet accessibility requirements under the EAA.

The message couldn’t be clearer: accessibility enforcement has officially begun.

What happened in France?

The legal notices gave the retailers until 1 September 2025 to make their online grocery services accessible before legal action would be taken. The complaints came from disability advocacy groups and legal teams (Droit Pluriel, Intérêt à agir, apiDV) citing France’s implementation of the EAA.

The problems identified included:

  • Websites and apps couldn’t be used with screen readers
  • Keyboard-only navigation was not possible
  • Click & Collect services excluded blind and visually impaired users

If the retailers fail to comply, they face lawsuits, reputational damage, and fines.

This isn’t just a French story and every business in the EU should be paying attention. France is simply the first country where this enforcement has turned into legal action. Others will follow.

“It’s anything but anecdotal. A young visually impaired student who lives alone won’t be able to do his shopping independently. And that means, if he wants to eat, he’ll have to depend on a friend or family member to go shopping.”

Pierre Marragou, President of the ApiDV association

What you should do now?

The European Accessibility Act is no longer just theory. It’s enforceable law. The first legal notices have gone out, and they won’t be the last.

If you’re not sure where to begin, a good starting point is an accessibility audit. We have created a guide that businesses can use to building accessibility compliance here: Digital Accessibility Guide for Businesses

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