Two interesting data points have shown up in the world of digital inclusion over the past few weeks. Firstly, Carrefour were fined €10,000 for their inaccessible e-commerce platform, combined with a daily €500 penalty until the website becomes fully compliant with the standards of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).
Secondly, a study conducted by Vision Ireland found that only 3% of Irish users with impaired vision had seen improvements to their experience online over the past year. Taken together, these two events seem contradictory - why are European businesses failing to improve their digital accessibility when the financial cost of neglect is now higher than ever?
The European Accessibility Act
The backdrop to all this is the European Accessibility Act, a dense 46 page piece of legislation that came into effect in June 2025. This act outlined the levels of accessibility required for a range of goods and services sold within Europe. For many businesses, the EAA mandates a level of compliance similar to WCAG 2.2 AA, and may face legal and financial penalties should they fail to comply.
Put simply, the current regulatory environment makes inaccessible solutions risky, exposed, and outdated, and should (in theory) encourage the adoption of more inclusive designs.
Slow market behaviour
Surprisingly, Irish businesses seem oblivious to this new legislation. As Vision Ireland’s recent research shows, the vast majority of disabled users have experienced no improvement in the websites they’ve visited over the last year.
This means that Irish businesses stand at a high risk of penalties and legal enforcement. For most firms, if you aren’t getting more accessible, you are getting more exposed. And as the Carrefour case made clear, abstract "accessibility scores” will not be enough to guarantee compliance. What really matters is the actual experience of disabled users, not irrelevant box-ticking.
It also means that Irish businesses who create a more inclusive digital presence will not only become more secure, but also more commercially appealing. If the Irish market has left disabled users behind, then your firm’s accessibility can serve as a real differentiator and competitive advantage.
The same again? What to expect in 2026
With legal penalties ramping up, but the large majority of websites remaining inaccessible, something clearly has to change. Once private businesses see the steep fines imposed by the EAA, digital accessibility will no doubt become a priority.
Ideally, digital inclusion should start pro-actively, not as a desperate attempt to avoid legal penalties. By improving the usability of your website and products, you can not only avoid the scramble for compliance, but also gain real benefits for your users, stakeholders, and business. After all, accessible websites are more effective at converting visitors, rank higher on AI search tools, and perform faster.
To get ahead of the curve on accessibility today, just reach out to our team. We’d love to speak more.
