European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an important EU Directive that introduces mandatory minimum accessibility requirements for certain products and services in the EU. The Directive advocates for a universal design or ‘design for all’ approach to accessibility, which means ensuring access to products and services for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others. The Directive came into effect on 28 June 2025.

The Directive was transposed into Irish law by S.I. No. 636/2023 - European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023.

The Directive covers a range of commonly used products and services that are important for daily life, including:

• Computers and operating systems;
• ATMs, ticketing and check-in machines;
• Smartphones
• TV equipment related to digital television services;
• Telephony services and related equipment;
• Access to audio-visual media services such as television broadcast and related consumer equipment;
• Services related to air, bus, rail, and waterborne passenger transport;
• Banking services;
• E-books;
• E-commerce

The Directive applies to products and services that have been placed on the market and provided to consumers on or after 28 June 2025.

A number of different regulatory bodies are tasked with monitoring compliance with the Directive in Ireland, and with investigating consumer complaints. These are listed below, along with the products and/or services under their remits.

Links to the websites of each regulator are included below. These provide additional information on how the EAA pertains to their sector, their role in monitoring compliance and contact details if you wish to file a complaint.

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the designated compliance authority for products under the legislation and can investigate complaints related to:

• E-books and dedicated software;
• E-commerce services;
• Consumer general purpose computer hardware systems and operating systems for those hardware systems;
• Payment self-service terminals;
• Automated teller machines that are dedicated to the provision of services covered by the regulations;
• Ticketing machines that are dedicated to the provision of services covered by these regulations;
• Check-in machines that are dedicated to the provision of services covered by these regulations;
• Interactive self-service terminals providing information dedicated to the provision of services covered by these regulations (excluding terminals installed as integrated parts of vehicles, aircrafts, ships, or rolling stock);
• Consumer terminal equipment with interactive computing capability, used for electronic communications services;
• Consumer terminal equipment with interactive computing capability, used for accessing audiovisual media services;
• E-readers.

The CCPC also provides guidance for micro-enterprises which can be found here.

Further information can be found on the CCPC’s website here.

Commission for Communications Regulation

The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) is the designated compliance authority for accessibility requirements of electronic communication services which include:

• Websites;
• Mobile device-based services, including mobile applications;
• Information about the accessibility of the service and its compliance with the accessibility requirements;
• Support services, where provided;
• Real Time Text in addition to voice communication and Total Conversation where video is available and their use in emergency calls to the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) and the single European emergency number ‘112’.

The following resources can be found on ComReg’s website:

• New accessibility obligations for providers of Electronic Communications Services following implementation of the European Accessibility Act
• Information Notice: Obligations on Electronic Communications Service Providers under the European Accessibility Act
• Service Provider Accessibility Requirements
• Consumer Care
• Real-Time Text (RTT)

Coimisiún na Meán

Coimisiún na Meán is the designated compliance authority for services providing access to audiovisual media services. Further information is available on their website here.

Coimisiún na Meán is the designated compliance authority for accessibility requirements for services providing access to audiovisual media services which include:

• Smart TV interfaces and set-top box software;
• Electronic programme guides (EPGs);
• Online and mobile applications;
• TV and streaming platforms;
• Content aggregators.

Irish Aviation Authority

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is the designated compliance authority for the following elements of air passenger transport services:

The Irish Aviation Authority is the designated compliance authority for the following elements of air passenger transport services:

• Websites;
• Mobile device-based services, including mobile applications;
• Electronic tickets and electronic ticketing services;
• The delivery of transport service information, including real time travel information (insofar as it applies to information screens, will apply only in relation to interactive screens located in the EU);
• Interactive self-service terminals located within the territory of the Union (other than those installed as integrated parts of vehicles, aircrafts, ships, and rolling stock used in the provision of any part of such passenger transport services).

Further information is available on the IAA’s website here.

National Transport Authority

The National Transport Authority (NTA) is the designated compliance authority for the following elements of bus passenger transport services, rail passenger transport services, and waterborne passenger transport services (other than urban and suburban transport services and regional transport services):

• Websites;
• Mobile device-based services, including mobile applications;
• Electronic tickets and electronic ticketing services;
• The delivery of transport service information, including real time travel information (insofar as it applies to information screens, will apply only in relation to interactive screens located in the EU);
• Interactive self-service terminals located within the territory of the Union (other than those installed as integrated parts of vehicles, aircrafts, ships, and rolling stock used in the provision of any part of such passenger transport services).

It is also the compliance authority for the following elements of urban and suburban transport services and regional transport services:

• Interactive self-service terminals located within the territory of the Union, other than those installed as integrated parts of vehicles and rolling stock used in the provision of any part of such passenger transport services.

Further information is available on the NTA’s website here.

Central Bank of Ireland

The Central Bank of Ireland is the designated compliance authority responsible for overseeing firms that provide in-scope consumer banking services.

The following firms are included within the scope of the EAA:

• Credit institutions;
• Payment institutions;
• Electronic money institutions;
• Credit unions;
• MiFID investment firms;
• Retail intermediaries authorised to provide mortgage credit services.

Consumer banking services include digital platforms, self-service terminals, information and support and basic banking operations including identification methods and payment methods.

Further information is available on the Central Bank of Ireland website here.

The EAA’s accessibility requirements include general requirements for all the products and services covered by the Act, and requirements that are specific to certain products and services.

The requirements outline what companies must do to comply with the EAA, but they do not specify how a company must do this. This allows for innovation in how companies design and manufacture their products and services to be compliant, without prescribing how conformity may be achieved.

You can find the accessibility requirements in European Directive 2019/882 in Annex 1 and in the Regulations which transposed the Directive into Irish law - Statutory instrument (S.I.) 636/2023 in Schedule 1.

The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, which is part of the National Disability Authority, provides further information on the accessibility requirements of the EAA.