EN 301 549: the EU accessibility standard
Updated
EN 301 549 is the European standard for digital accessibility. Its title is “Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services”. It is published jointly by ETSI, CEN and CENELEC, the European standards bodies.
It covers much more than websites: documents, software, mobile apps, hardware, two-way voice and video, and the information and support around a product. For web content, it uses the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Level A and AA.
Versions
| Version | Web baseline | Status |
|---|---|---|
| V3.2.1 (2021-03) | WCAG 2.1 | Harmonized standard for the Web Accessibility Directive (EU) 2016/2102, which covers public sector websites and apps. Its reference was published in the Official Journal of the EU by Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1339. |
| V4.1.1 (2026-09) | WCAG 2.2 | Adopted on August 24, 2026 and written for the European Accessibility Act. It gives a presumption of conformity under the EAA once its reference is published in the Official Journal. |
Version 4.1.1 changes, among other things:
- Clauses 9 (web), 10 (documents) and 11 (software) are aligned with WCAG 2.2.
- A new Annex ZB maps the standard to the requirements of the EAA (Directive (EU) 2019/882).
- Annex ZA maps it to the Web Accessibility Directive.
- The rules for real-time text are rewritten and extended to total conversation.
Check the Official Journal for the current status before you rely on a version. Until V4.1.1 is cited, V3.2.1 remains the cited version for public sector websites.
What a website scan relates to
The standard has a clause for each kind of ICT. An automated scan of web pages, like Perceivly’s, relates to clause 9 only, and to part of it.
| Clause | Covers | Checked by a web scan? |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Functional performance: use without vision, hearing, speech and more | No. These are outcomes for people, not code checks. |
| 5 | Generic requirements, such as closed systems and biometrics | No |
| 6 | Two-way voice, video and real-time text | No |
| 7 | Video players: captions and audio description | No |
| 8 | Hardware | No |
| 9 | Web content: the WCAG Level A and AA success criteria | Partly. Automated tests find part of the issues; the rest need a manual review. |
| 10 | Non-web documents, such as PDF and Word files | No. Perceivly skips document files. |
| 11 | Non-web software, including native mobile apps | No |
| 12 | Information about products and services, documentation and support services | No |
| 13 | Relay and emergency service access | No |
Clause 12 is called “Documentation and support services” in V3.2.1 and “Information about products and services” in V4.1.1.
What needs a person
Even within clause 9, many success criteria need human judgment. For example:
- Is the alt text meaningful, or only present?
- Can every task be done with a keyboard, in a logical order?
- Do captions match the audio?
- Do error messages explain how to fix the problem?
- Does a screen reader announce custom widgets correctly?
Each WCAG criterion page on this site says whether a scanner can detect it. A full EN 301 549 evaluation also covers documents, apps, support and the other clauses that apply to your product.
How Perceivly helps
Perceivly monitors your website against WCAG 2.2 A and AA, the web baseline of V4.1.1, and tracks each issue until it is fixed. Every issue names its WCAG success criterion, and reports group issues by principle and level, so you can see which parts of clause 9 still need work. Perceivly doesn’t certify conformance to EN 301 549.
Sources
- EN 301 549 V4.1.1 (2026-09) (ETSI, PDF)
- EN 301 549 V3.2.1 (2021-03) (ETSI, PDF)
- Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1339 (EUR-Lex)
This page is general information, not legal advice.