Katarzyna Kanik for Rzeczpospolita: “Digital accessibility – new e-commerce regulations will reshape online business”
Digital accessibility is no longer solely a concern of the public sector. Starting from June 28, 2025, new EU regulations will require online retailers to ensure digital accessibility of their services for persons with disabilities. Associate Katarzyna Kanik writes in Rzeczpospolita about how these changes will affect the e-commerce sector. Polish version of the article available here.
The new Polish law of April 26, 2024, implementing the European Accessibility Act (EAA), introduces groundbreaking changes for the e-commerce industry. As of late June 2025, virtually all entrepreneurs operating online stores will be required to adapt their websites and mobile applications to the needs of users with disabilities. The only exception applies to micro-entrepreneurs offering services exclusively.
The new regulations are based on four fundamental principles of digital accessibility: perceivability, operability, understandability, and compatibility. In practice, this means ensuring alternatives to visual content (e.g., text descriptions for product images), full keyboard navigation of store functionalities, clear instructions in online forms, and compatibility with assistive technologies such as screen readers.
Although the regulations do not mandate a specific technical standard, the market practice increasingly favors compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 or 2.2 at level AA. Detailed technical requirements are to be aligned through the EN 301 549 standard, which is expected to be updated in the second half of 2025.
Non-compliance could lead to severe financial penalties. Fines may amount to up to ten times the average monthly wage in Poland, but no more than 10% of the company’s turnover from the previous year. This means that entrepreneurs still have a few months left to prepare their platforms to meet the new standards.
What exactly will be required of online store owners under the new law? Which businesses will be exempt from the obligation to comply with digital accessibility rules? What are the penalties for failing to meet the requirements?
These and many other questions about the upcoming changes in e-commerce law are answered in Katarzyna Kanik’s article in Rzeczpospolita.
