The European Accessibility Act: All You Need to Know

The European Accessibility Act (EAA), set to take effect on 28 June 2025, is more than just another regulation. 

It’s a pivotal moment for brands to champion digital inclusivity and reimagine how they connect with all audiences.

While most discussions around the EAA tend to focus on websites, mobile apps, and digital devices, email marketing is just as critical. Emails are often the primary touchpoint between brands and their customers, delivering everything from promotions and onboarding sequences to service updates and support. 

At Mavlers, we view the EAA not just as a compliance checklist but as a call to create meaningful, inclusive experiences that serve every customer, regardless of their ability. 

But what exactly is the European Accessibility Act? What steps will your organization need to take to comply?

And what are the consequences if you’re not prepared by the 28 June 2025 deadline? Let’s break it all down.

What is the EAA, and who needs to comply?

What does an accessible email look like?

Why accessibility is smart marketing

What happens if you ignore it?

Need help? Mavlers offers a free accessibility review!

What is the EAA, and who needs to comply?

The European Accessibility Act is a legislative directive that ensures people with disabilities have equal access to digital products and services. The EAA applies to a broad range of industries, including e-commerce, banking, telecom, travel, media, and more.

If you’re:

• A business based in the EU (excluding micro-enterprises) or
  
• A company outside the EU that sells to customers in the EU,

Then you’ll need to make sure all your emails, including newsletters, onboarding flows, promotional emails, and even system-triggered transactional emails comply with the standards set by the EAA. 

At its core, the EAA aligns with the WCAG 2.2 Level AA guidelines, built on four key principles:

• Perceivable: Information must be visible or understandable via alternate senses (e.g., screen readers).
  
• Operable: Users must be able to interact with the content using a keyboard or screen reader.
  
• Understandable: Clear, simple content that avoids confusion. 
• Robust: Compatible across platforms, assistive tech, and screen sizes. 

What does an accessible email look like?

Here’s what accessibility (and by extension EAA compliance) looks like in email marketing:

• Readable fonts and sizes: Use at least 16px font size and choose legible sans serif typefaces (like Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana) to ensure clarity, especially for users with visual impairments or dyslexia.
  
• Strong color contrast: Maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 between text and background to support readability for users with low vision or color blindness.
  
• Alt text for every image and semantic HTML: Provide meaningful alternative text for all images, and use semantic HTML elements (like <h1>, <p>, <ul>) to help screen readers interpret content accurately.
  
• Descriptive anchor text: Use clear, specific link text that describes the destination or action, such as “View our accessibility guide” instead of generic phrases like “Click here.”
  
• Avoid flashing content and unnecessary motion: Do not include rapidly flashing elements or animations that could trigger seizures or cause distractions for users with cognitive disabilities.
  
• Mobile responsiveness and tap targets: Ensure emails render correctly on mobile devices and include sufficiently large tap areas (at least 44×44 pixels) to support users with limited dexterity.
  
• Clear content structure: Use proper headings, bullet points, and white space to organize content logically, allowing easier navigation for screen reader users and improved readability for all.
  
• Subtitles or captions on embedded video content: Provide accurate subtitles or closed captions for videos to ensure users who are deaf or hard of hearing can access the spoken content.

Here’s an email from the British Museum which checks all the boxes when it comes to accessibility. 

Source: Email Love

How is this email accessible? Here’s why:

• Clean, sans-serif font that’s easy to read. Appropriate font sizes with clear hierarchy.
  
• Images are paired with descriptive text content.
  
• Use of live text instead of text embedded in images. High contrast between dark text and light backgrounds.
  
• Text appears large enough to read on smaller screens.
  
• Information is chunked into digestible sections.
  
• Button sizes appear appropriate for touch interfaces. 

“As a marketing team, for us, accessibility isn’t about compliance; it’s about creating truly inclusive marketing, by design and by intent. We welcome the European Accessibility Act as an opportunity to further embed empathy and usability into every experience we craft at Mavlers.”

– Parul Shukla, Director, Brand & Marketing, Mavlers

To test whether your emails are accessible, you can check them on the following accessibility tools online:

• WebAIM Contrast Checker: An online tool that verifies if your text and background color combinations meet WCAG contrast ratio requirements.
  
• VoiceOver: Apple’s built-in screen reader for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS that audibly describes what’s on the screen.
  
• Coblis: A free online simulator that allows you to see how your designs appear to people with different types of color blindness.
  
• Accessible-email.org: A resource providing comprehensive guidance and best practices for creating accessible emails.

• Photosensitive Epilepsy Analysis Tool (PEAT): A software tool used to identify problematic flashing or rapidly changing content that could trigger seizures in individuals with photosensitive epilepsy.

Why accessibility is smart marketing 

Let’s put compliance aside for a second and understand why digital  accessibility matters for your brand:

• Over 80 million people in the EU live with a disability. Add to that seniors, temporary impairments, and mobile-first users, and accessibility expands your audience.
  
• Accessible emails get read more, clicked more, and report better deliverability.
  
• Inclusive design is equal to modern, ethical branding. People notice who designs with empathy.
  
• The global disability market is worth $13 trillion. Accessibility is good business.

The EAA is part of a global shift. Regions like the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia are strengthening digital accessibility laws. 

Getting ahead now sets you up for global readiness.

What happens if you ignore it?

Ignoring the EU Accessibility Act mandates isn’t just risky, it’s a missed opportunity for your business: 

• You risk losing up to 20% of your potential audience
  
• You could face legal penalties or enforcement depending on the EU country
  
• You miss out on stronger engagement, brand advocacy, and a competitive edge

Accessibility starts with intention, not obligation, and the EAA is a powerful step forward. Accessibility is a strategic choice, a brand value, and a competitive differentiator. Here’s what Sarah Gallardo, Lead Email Developer at Oracle, recommends:

• Use live text instead of text embedded within images. This supports users relying on dyslexia-friendly fonts, zoom tools, color contrast plugins, and screen readers that may not interpret alt text effectively.
  
• If incorporating kinetic content, ensure it is fully accessible. If it doesn’t deliver a clear impact, ditch it altogether.
  
• Avoid using VML. Opt for flexible, responsive designs that render well across diverse email clients.
  
• Ensure your HTML emails are accessible, and your plain text versions are equally clean, clear, and usable.
  
• Accessibility is not a one-time task. It requires ongoing collaboration, training, and QA, as client support evolves.
  
• Always test in real email environments. Web standards don’t always translate. Prioritize hands-on testing. 

Need help? Mavlers offers a free accessibility review!

Curious where your email program stands?

We’ll review one of your email templates for accessibility and share actionable improvements. Request your Free Email Audit or reach out to learn how we can help you with accessibility.