Dutch Webshops Lag Behind EU Accessibility Rules, Study Finds

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) obliges businesses that provide digital services to consumers to make their websites and apps accessible from 28 June 2025. In the Netherlands this applies to online retailers, booking platforms, digital communication services, banks and e‑book providers. A recent market study examined the homepages of 74 major Dutch webshops across nine sectors. Inspectors reviewed 740 pages and identified 3,649 accessibility problems, averaging 49 errors per site, with a maximum of 251. Critical faults were found on 45 % of homepages, the most common being automatically playing moving images that can trigger motion sickness or epilepsy. Only 16 % of the firms published a full accessibility statement meeting legal requirements. While many sites fall short, a few demonstrated that compliance is achievable. Micro‑enterprises with fewer than ten employees and annual turnover or balance sheet totals under €2 million may be exempt from some obligations, but product‑related rules still apply.