The European Accessibility Act has applied since 2025, and it requires some Croatian businesses to make their websites and apps usable by people with disabilities. The topic is easy to skip because it sounds like paperwork, but it isn't: some of the requirements can't be patched on later without going into how the site is built.
This post is a practical overview: who it applies to, what's required, and what is most often missed.
Who it applies to
The act targets products and services offered to consumers, including:
- Online shops and any sale of goods or services over the internet.
- Banking and insurance for consumers.
- Passenger transport: tickets, timetables, bookings.
- Electronic communications and access to audiovisual services.
- E-books and their readers.
Microenterprises providing services (fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet up to €2 million) are generally exempt from part of the obligations. That exemption isn't automatic in every case and doesn't cover products.
If you're not sure where you fall, that's a question for a lawyer, not a developer. What I can tell you is what's required technically.
What's required
In practice the benchmark is the WCAG 2.1 standard at level AA. In plain language, four principles:
Perceivable. Content has to be available to someone who can't see the screen: images have descriptions, video has captions, and the page structure is marked up so a screen reader can read it.
Operable. Everything has to be doable with a keyboard, without a mouse. This is the most often broken rule.
Understandable. The page language is marked, forms have clear labels, errors explain what's wrong and how to fix it.
Robust. The code is written so assistive technologies can read it, today and in five years.
What is most often missed
By frequency, from practice:
Weak text contrast. Light grey text on a white background looks professional and doesn't meet the 4.5:1 ratio. This is the most common miss and the cheapest to fix.
Images without descriptions. Every image that carries information needs an alt description. Decorative images need an empty alt so the reader skips them.
No keyboard control. Menus that only open with a mouse, pop-ups you can't get out of, forms you can't tab through.
An invisible focus. Designers often remove the outline that shows where you are because they don't like it. Without it the keyboard is unusable.
Forms without labels. A field that only has text inside it loses its label as soon as you start typing, and the screen reader doesn't know what's being asked.
Video without captions.
Headings as decoration. When an h3 is used because it's smaller, not because it's a subheading, the page structure becomes meaningless to someone who can't see it.
What can't be patched on later
This is where the cost lies.
Contrast, alt descriptions and captions are content changes and go relatively easily. Heading structure, keyboard control and properly marked-up interfaces are the build itself: if the site was made without them, the fix touches almost every component.
That's why it's cheaper to have it from the start than to add it later. The difference in the cost of the build is small; the difference in the cost of fixing it afterwards can be several times over.
Plugins that promise accessibility in one line of code don't work. A toolbar offering bigger text and a "dyslexia mode" changes nothing in how the site is built and doesn't make it compliant.
What you get besides compliance
This isn't just an obligation:
- A wider audience. A significant share of the population has some form of visual, hearing or motor impairment.
- Better SEO. Correct heading structure,
altdescriptions and a sensible content order are what search engines read anyway. - Usability for everyone. Captions help someone watching a video without sound, good contrast helps someone in the sun.
How to check your site
From the cheapest:
- Lighthouse in Chrome has an accessibility section. It catches part of the problems automatically.
- Try it with a keyboard. Open the site and go through it using only Tab. Can you see where you are? Can you fill in a form and get out of a pop-up?
- Check the contrast with a contrast ratio tool.
- Go through it with a screen reader for the parts that carry the business.
Automated tools catch maybe a third. The rest needs someone to go through the site.
Frequently asked questions
When is the deadline?
The act has applied since June 2025, with transition periods for some cases.
Does it apply to existing sites?
Yes, not only to new ones.
How much does it cost to comply?
It depends on how far off the site is. Contrast and descriptions are a small job; structure and keyboard control can be a scope close to a new build.
Do you build sites that comply?
Yes, and it's part of the build, not an extra. Tell me what you have and we'll see where you stand.
Where to start
If you run an online shop or sell services to consumers online, the first step is checking your current site. That shows whether it's a few hours of work or something bigger.