Does the law change, or does the standard change?
For most webshops and digital service providers, little changes in the law itself this year: the European Accessibility Act has been enforceable in all member states since 28 June 2025, and the core obligation — compliance with EN 301 549, in practice WCAG 2.1 level AA — remains unchanged. What does move is not in the law but in the technical standards beneath it: work is underway on a new version of WCAG and an updated EN 301 549, and for some existing service agreements a transition period is running that ultimately ends on 28 June 2030.
For those already underway or who have started, this is mainly a matter of keeping track, not starting over. The requirements that apply today remain in force until a new standard formally replaces the current one, and that typically happens with a transition period, not overnight.
What does not change
The scope of the law — which webshops, apps and business websites with an account environment fall under it, and the exemption for micro-enterprises that meet both conditions — is fixed and does not change this year. The obligation to publish an accessibility statement and be able to demonstrate your own assessment also does not change. If you are unsure whether the law applies to you, it is best to establish this first before looking at the standards: to gauge where you stand in a few questions provides a first indication of this.
What is in flux
Two developments are running in parallel. The first is a new version of WCAG, which adds a number of additional success criteria on top of the current guidelines. The second is an updated version of EN 301 549, the European standard to which the law itself refers. At the time of writing, both have not yet been definitively implemented everywhere in national legislation, and the pace at which this happens varies by component. A new standard rarely replaces the old one abruptly in practice, but receives its own effective date on which existing sites must be reassessed.
For those who have already had a webshop, app or login environment assessed against the current standard, this means no immediate action, though something to keep an eye on. A site that complies with WCAG 2.1 AA today does not automatically comply with a next version once it comes into force — the additional requirements are mainly in areas such as mobile screen operation and the behaviour of interactive elements.
Why this is no reason for most SME businesses to redo everything now
The standards behind the law are rarely made mandatory overnight. There is typically an announcement, an adoption date and only then an effective date, with room for existing websites to adapt. If you comply with the current standard now, you are not immediately behind once a new version appears — but it is wise to know when that effective date is coming so that a next assessment or update is scheduled in time.
That distinction between 'the law changes' and 'the standard beneath it changes' is also why these kinds of changes are tracked separately. In the knowledge base organized by topic for each sub-topic — WCAG 2.2, EN 301 549 V4, the transition period until 2030 — what is concretely at stake and for whom it is relevant, so you do not have to read through the entire standard text to know if it affects your situation.
What this means after an earlier assessment
If a web shop, app or login environment has already been tested and adapted, that test remains a snapshot in time. Any change to the site itself — a new checkout step, a different theme, a refreshed login screen — automatically requires a new check, regardless of what happens to the standard. A change to the standard is no different in that sense: it is an additional reason to review periodically, not a one-time effort. How often that is necessary and what exactly changes depends on how the site is built and which components have already been tested.
How to stay informed without having to monitor it yourself
Those with a business account receive notification whenever something changes that affects their own situation, without having to monitor the legislation and announcements from standards organizations themselves. Setting up a business account is the first step for this, and is separate from the free parts of the site.
Curious whether your web shop, app or business site falls under the law and where you stand now? The free quick-scan provides a first impression in a few minutes, without requiring an account, and the knowledge base shows per topic what is and is not yet established.