Penalties for inaccessibility (EAA) — enforcement and sanctions
Updated: 2026-06-16
Non-compliance with the EAA is not just a reputational risk — market-surveillance authorities can impose fines and order the removal of barriers.
Who enforces the EAA
Every EU country has designated market-surveillance authorities. In Poland this role is held by the President of the PFRON Board among others; they can inspect products and services and act on complaints.
A consumer or organisation can report a violation, which often triggers an inspection.
The size of fines
Sanctions vary by country. The Polish act provides for financial penalties — under the rules, up to ten times the average wage, and in certain cases up to 10% of annual turnover.
In other EU countries the ranges can be higher — for example, in Spain fines reach up to €1M.
How proceedings work
An authority can require barriers to be removed within a set deadline. A lack of response leads to a fine and, in extreme cases, to withdrawing the service or product from the market.
Documentation — the audit report, the accessibility statement and a remediation plan — is evidence of due diligence.
How to reduce the risk
The cheapest protection is a regular audit, removing the highest-risk barriers (forms, checkout, contrast, keyboard operation) and a dated accessibility statement.
EAAsy ranks issues by sanction risk, so you know what to fix first and have proof of action.
Related articles
- What is the European Accessibility Act (EAA)?
- The EAA across EU countries: laws, authorities, penalties
- The accessibility statement — what it must contain
- Why accessibility overlays don't ensure compliance
- How to test your website's accessibility — a step-by-step guide
- What the EAAsy scanner detects — and what automation cannot cover
- Violations vs recommendations — what you must fix, and what's worth fixing
- WCAG 2.2 AA checklist — an accessibility checklist
- Online store accessibility (WCAG / EAA)