Barrier WatchThe European Accessibility Act (EAA, Directive (EU) 2019/882) sets accessibility requirements for certain products and services, and e-commerce is one of the services it names. It has applied since 28 June 2025.
Who it applies to
Online shops selling to consumers in the EU. Each member state wrote the act into its own law and enforces it itself — Germany’s version is the BFSG, for example — so penalties and the authority you would hear from differ by country.
The microenterprise exemption
Article 4(5) exempts microenterprises providing services: fewer than 10 people and no more than €2 million in annual turnover or balance sheet. Many small Shopify stores fall under it. Check your own position with an adviser; we only point to the article.
What it asks of a shop
- The storefront and checkout usable by people with disabilities — product images with alt text, labelled buttons, readable contrast.
- Published information on how the service meets the requirements (Article 13(2)) — in practice, an accessibility statement.
Where to start
- Run a check of your store and fix what blocks people first.
- Publish a statement that says what you check and what is still being fixed.
- Keep checking — theme and app updates undo fixes.
Barrier Watch does the checking and the dated record, and writes the statement from it. It never claims compliance on your behalf. How it works.
Barrier Watch — a weekly accessibility check for Shopify stores with a dated record of what was found and fixed. No widget, no promises of compliance.
More guides
- An accessibility statement for your Shopify store: what to write and what never to claim
- How to check your Shopify store for accessibility — and what a checker cannot see
- ADA compliance for Shopify stores: what the law asks and what no app can promise
- Shopify accessibility widgets: what they do, what they do not, and what the data says
- Alt text on Shopify: how to write it, where to add it, and how to find what is missing