Report: Companies aren’t ready for EAA — here’s how to catch up

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is here, and businesses across Europe and beyond are facing new requirements to ensure their digital products, services and content are accessible to all.

The EAA is a landmark directive designed to harmonize accessibility standards across EU member states. It covers a wide range of industries, from e-commerce and banking to media, transport and technology. Companies that fail to comply risk not only regulatory penalties but also reputational damage and missed opportunities in reaching customers with disabilities — a market representing more than 87 million people in the EU alone.

But despite having years to prepare, new research suggests that many organizations aren’t fully ready.

European companies are behind on EAA readiness

According to an ‘EAA Readiness Report’ from accessibility software company Evinced, only 27% of European companies surveyed say they’re fully prepared for EAA compliance. The report noted that 45% of companies said they were “somewhat prepared” while another 28% said they were either “somewhat unprepared” or “not prepared at all.”

Even among companies claiming to be fully prepared, just 19% have meaningfully transformed their product development processes to proactively prevent future accessibility issues. The majority expect to make progress this year by investing in dedicated accessibility teams, tools and training.

Smaller, less-prepared companies face a steeper climb, with some anticipating that it will take several years to achieve full compliance and focusing in the interim on remediation projects and basic audits without robust accessibility workflows in place.

Compliance requires more than a quick fix

“Accessibility isn’t a check-the-box exercise,” said Navin Thadani, CEO and co-founder of Evinced. “At the end of the day, it’s about building a company and especially a product development process that takes inclusion to heart.”

For businesses, that means thinking beyond short-term fixes. Sustainable accessibility involves integrating inclusive practices directly into everyday workflows, from design and development to content creation and media delivery.

It’s also worth noting that the EAA isn’t just for European businesses. If your company is based outside the EU but serves European customers, you’re likely still impacted.

EAA compliance checklist

Read our article outlining steps that businesses can take to make their products and services more inclusive.

Click here

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How Verbit helps businesses meet EAA standards

Verbit equips businesses with the technology, expertise and flexibility needed to make media accessible and aligned with EAA standards, while also improving user experience and expanding audience reach.

We help organizations achieve compliance by providing:

Accurate captions. Live and post-production captions in multiple languages that feature custom dictionaries, term boosting and speaker identification to ensure precision and clarity.

Audio description and transcripts. Descriptive audio tracks and full transcripts that help organizations make video content accessible to all individuals.

Multilingual accessibility. AI-powered dubbing and subtitling enable businesses to localize content into EU languages, ensuring inclusiveness for diverse audiences across member states.

Scalable, cost-effective solutions. Verbit’s wide range of access solutions and products allows companies to scale accessibility across large content libraries without sacrificing compliance or accuracy.

Expert guidance and 24/7 support. Dedicated customer success teams provide support with EAA compliance, best practices and integration into existing workflows.

Trust an accessibility expert

The European Accessibility Act isn’t just a legal deadline, it’s an opportunity to grow your business by reaching a wider audience. While new research shows many companies are unprepared, a long-term approach that integrates accessibility into your core workflows is the key to success.

Verbit helps businesses meet and exceed these standards by providing scalable, AI-powered access solutions. By making your content inclusive, you can not only avoid penalties but also build customer trust and unlock new market potential.