Obligations of Service Providers

Service providers have specific obligations under the European Accessibility Act to ensure their services are accessible to persons with disabilities. These obligations focus on ensuring that digital services and their related components meet established accessibility standards.

Service providers must ensure that they design and provide services in accordance with the accessibility requirements of the EAA by:

• Designing and providing services in accordance with the accessibility requirements set out in the EAA
• Preparing the necessary technical documentation to demonstrate that services meet the applicable accessibility requirements
• Providing information on how the service meets applicable accessibility requirements

For detailed guidance on accessibility requirements, seethe service compliance guidelines.

Service providers are required to maintain proper documentation about accessibility features:

• Explaining how the accessibility requirements have been met
• Making this information available to the public in written and oral format, including in a manner which is accessible to persons with disabilities
• Retaining this documentation for a period of five years after the service was last provided

When a service does not conform to applicable accessibility requirements, service providers must:

• Take immediate corrective measures to bring the service into conformity, withdraw it, or cease its provision as appropriate
• Immediately inform the competent national authorities where the service presents a risk related to accessibility, giving details about the non-compliance and corrective measures taken
• Cooperate with competent authorities on any measures to ensure compliance

For more information about handling non-compliance issues, visit thenon-compliance procedures page.

Service providers are obligated to cooperate with authorities by:

• Demonstrating compliance with the applicable accessibility requirements, when requested
• Providing all information and documentation necessary to demonstrate conformity
• Cooperating on any action taken to eliminate non-compliance with the applicable accessibility requirements

Service providers may be exempt from accessibility requirements if they can demonstrate that meeting them would:

• Impose a disproportionate burden on them based on criteria specified in Annex VI
• Require a fundamental alteration in the nature of the service

When claiming disproportionate burden, service providers must:

• Conduct an assessment of whether compliance would require a fundamental change or impose a disproportionate burden
• Document this assessment according to the requirements in Annex VI
• Re-evaluate the exemption at least every five years, or when the service offering is modified

For detailed guidance on assessing disproportionate burden, seeAnnex IV: Disproportionate Burden Assessment.

Service providers that are microenterprises (fewer than 10 persons and an annual turnover not exceeding €2 million or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million) are exempt from compliance with the accessibility requirements. However, they must still:

• Notify the relevant market surveillance authority when applying this exemption, if requested
• Provide relevant information on request