Who has to comply
Consumer-facing private services; existing public-sector accessibility under separate 2020 regulations.
Ireland punches far above its population size because it hosts the European headquarters of a large share of US technology, SaaS and consumer-platform companies, so many services legally established in Ireland reach the entire EU market. For a US company, the Irish entity is often the EU-facing operator that the EAA Regulations 2023 bite on directly, not just via the consumer's location. Any store or service selling to Irish consumers is also covered under the country-of-consumption rule, and Ireland's English-language market gives US sellers no localisation excuse for missing an accessibility statement.
What the law actually requires
EAA Regulations 2023 sets the technical bar at WCAG 2.1 Level AA via EN 301 549. On top of it, European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023 lists these operational duties:
- EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA
- Accessibility statement
- CCPC and NDA reporting if requested
Penalties and how enforcement actually works
Up to €60,000 or 12 months imprisonment for repeated non-compliance.
Ireland splits responsibility between the CCPC (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission), which carries the market-enforcement and penalty powers, and the NDA (National Disability Authority), which provides accessibility expertise and guidance. The regime is largely complaint- and request-driven: covered operators must be able to produce conformity information and reporting if the CCPC or NDA asks, and repeated non-compliance can escalate to fines up to €60,000 or, unusually, up to 12 months' imprisonment. Because so many pan-EU platforms are Irish-established, the CCPC's decisions can have reach well beyond Ireland.
Reading the EAA Regulations 2023 at the source
The law is cited as European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations (European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023). Enforcement: CCPC (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission) and NDA (National Disability Authority). Key date: 28 June 2025. For the exact wording, read the official reference for Ireland listed under Sources below.
Sources
- NDA accessibility
- European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) · European Commission
Links checked 12 October 2026. Not legal advice. Methodology · About Certvo