What does the European Customs Authority (EAA) mean for your webshop?
On June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will come into effect, making it mandatory to make new digital services — including webshops — accessible to people with disabilities, such as auditory, visual, or motor impairments. This message explains what the law means for your webshop(s), what requirements are involved, and how best to approach them.
What do the WCAG guidelines entail?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is implemented based on the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). These guidelines define how webshops and other digital services should be made accessible for people with various disabilities.
Good accessibility is not a matter of a single solution but of multiple factors that contribute to a better user experience. These include:
Sufficient color contrast
Easily readable text
Logical keyboard navigation
Clear buttons
Correct HTML structure
Screen reader support, and so on
The goal is that everyone, regardless of their disability, can easily use the webshop.
How does my webshop score on these points?There are various online tools and plugins that can assess your webshop’s compliance with the WCAG guidelines. One example is the WAVE browser extension for Google Chrome. These tools provide insights into how well your webshop meets accessibility standards.
When does the Accessibility Act come into effect?The EAA has a two-fold effective date:
On June 28, 2025, the EAA will apply to all "contracts" (webshops and websites) entered into on or after that date.
Webshops with contracts made before June 28, 2025, have until June 28, 2030, to make their channels accessible. It's important to note that this applies to the webshop in its current form. If you plan to redesign your webshop or make other essential changes in the meantime, the new version must comply with the WCAG guidelines immediately.
How does NextChapter address the EAA?
Although existing webshops still have time to meet the accessibility requirements, NextChapter takes digital accessibility seriously. We are not waiting to innovate and are continuously working on improving accessibility for all webshops.
It's important to distinguish between 1) points that must be ensured in the underlying technology of the webshop frontends delivered by NextChapter through the SaaS platform ("the technology"), 2) points that result from choices made by the webshop owner and that affect the final graphical result ("the visual output"), and 3) browser updates.
1) The Technology
NextChapter categorizes WCAG-related technology in a webshop frontend within the SaaS platform’s technical scope into three groups:
Major issues: These affect all visitors and have high impact, such as the overall (un)usability of a webshop for visitors with disabilities. These are, of course, addressed by NextChapter in the SaaS platform for all clients.
Medior issues: These affect most visitors and have medium impact, such as the functionality of a feature. These are also handled by NextChapter for all clients.
Minor issues: These affect a limited group of users and have low impact, such as a missing detail in an otherwise functional feature. NextChapter evaluates these on a case-by-case basis and may choose immediate or future implementation, or decide not to implement them.
Our goal is that every webshop built by NextChapter is usable by visitors with disabilities, according to generally accepted standards and government guidelines. NextChapter uses specialized tools to assess this.
2) The Visual Output
The final result of a webshop frontend depends on more than just the underlying technology.
In addition to general updates, individual webshops may require additional adjustments to make their design and branding accessible. This includes color use (e.g., contrast between buttons and background), typography (e.g., hard-to-read fonts), and interactive elements that are part of the brand’s visual identity. Since these visual components are part of your brand and style, your organization is responsible for making them accessible. If needed, NextChapter can support these adjustments; they may result in a project budget, depending on the complexity.
Want to know more? There are various online articles that can help, such as this blog by Stichting Accessibility: https://www.accessibility.nl/kennis/zo-maak-je-je-huisstijl-toegankelijker-voor-iedereen.
3) Browser Updates
Finally, it's good to know that modern browsers already support many accessibility features by default, such as screen readers, zoom for visuals and text, text-to-speech, and contrast checkers. Many users with disabilities have configured their browsers accordingly, as they expect consistent experiences across all websites and webshops. One example is the accessibility settings in Google Chrome.
Roadmap and Progress
The first major updates to the multiˣ suite have already been implemented. In the coming months, the roadmap will focus on further improving accessibility. Accessibility is a standard part of every sprint, and continuous updates are being rolled out to improve the user experience for all visitors.
Since NextChapter is a SaaS platform, these updates are immediately available to all webshops running on the NextChapter multiˣ suite.
Final Note:
NextChapter reserves the right to interpret guideline details at its discretion and to make its own choices. We may deviate slightly or make individual decisions, as long as they do not compromise the higher goal: good usability for visitors with disabilities.