Who has to comply
Public-sector sites since 2004; private-sector consumer services from 28 June 2025 under DL 82/2022 (the EAA transposition).
Italy is a large southern-European market and was the first EU country ever to legislate web accessibility (Legge Stanca, 2004), so the regulatory culture is mature. A foreign seller reaching Italian consumers is covered under DL 82/2022 on the country-of-consumption basis regardless of where the business is established. AgID's power to publicly list non-compliant operators is a real reputational lever for cross-border sellers, since being named on a state agency's non-conformance list is visible to Italian buyers and partners.
What the law actually requires
Stanca + DL 82/2022 sets the technical bar at WCAG 2.1 Level AA via EN 301 549. On top of it, Legge Stanca + Decreto Legislativo 82/2022 lists these operational duties:
- EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA conformance
- Accessibility statement on every covered service
- AgID-prescribed reporting form
- Annual self-assessment
Penalties and how enforcement actually works
Up to 5% of annual turnover; AgID can mandate corrective action and publicly list non-compliant operators.
Enforcement is centralised under AgID, the national digital agency, which already administers the public-sector regime and prescribes a specific reporting form and statement template. AgID's approach is documentation- and template-driven: it expects covered operators to file the prescribed accessibility reporting and self-assessment, and it can mandate corrective action and publish the names of operators that fail to comply. This makes Italy more form-centric than most member states, so a technically decent site can still be flagged for using the wrong statement format.
Public-sector obligations
Italy also has a separate public-sector law: Legge Stanca 4/2004 — public-sector and PA-funded private sites. It predates the EAA and remains in force for government and public-funded sites. Public bodies must publish a conformance statement and re-audit periodically.
Reading the Stanca + DL 82/2022 at the source
The law is cited as Stanca Law (Legge 4/2004) + Decreto Legislativo 82/2022 (Legge Stanca + Decreto Legislativo 82/2022). Enforcement: AgID (Agenzia per l'Italia Digitale). Key date: 28 June 2025. For the exact wording, read the official reference for Italy listed under Sources below.
Sources
- AgID accessibility portal
- European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) · European Commission
Links checked 12 October 2026. Not legal advice. Methodology · About Certvo
Frequently asked questions
Does Italy require a separate accessibility statement template?
Yes — AgID publishes a mandatory template that public bodies must use. Private-sector covered entities must publish equivalent information.