Since June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (Directive EU 2019/882) has become operational for covered services and products, with national implementation and enforcement handled by each member state. For online merchants and digital service providers, a practical consequence is the need to communicate accessibility status in clear language that can be understood by users, auditors, and market surveillance authorities. A modern accessibility statement is not a static legal banner; it is an operational disclosure that should reflect current conformance status, known limitations, and remediation commitments.
Many statement tools on the market require user accounts, paid subscriptions, or locked templates that hide essential legal text behind product tiers. A client-side statement generator removes that friction and allows teams to produce first-draft documentation instantly, with no credential gate. This matters for small and medium sellers who must move quickly when entering EU marketplaces and who need to keep documentation aligned across storefront pages, checkout flows, and customer support channels.
The micro-enterprise exemption framework is one of the most misunderstood areas. In general terms, organizations with fewer than ten employees and turnover or annual balance sheet totals not exceeding two million euros may have reduced obligations for certain service contexts. However, this does not mean accessibility should be ignored. A voluntary statement is still recommended because it demonstrates good-faith effort, helps customers report barriers, and provides internal structure for phased improvements.
Conformance declarations should reference EN 301 549 and WCAG checkpoints in practical language. Fully conformant, partially conformant, and non-conformant statuses each require honest scope statements. For most live shops, partial conformance is the realistic status while teams actively fix edge cases such as keyboard focus order, form error messaging, third-party widget limitations, and media alternatives. Accuracy is more valuable than over-claiming compliance.
A strong statement includes a transparent method section. Whether you use self-assessment, external audit, or hybrid testing, the publication should identify how findings were obtained. Hybrid approaches that combine automated scans with manual WCAG 2.2 checks usually provide the most reliable picture for e-commerce websites where interactions involve dynamic carts, checkout elements, modals, and account dashboards.
Known barriers and temporary exceptions should be documented in plain terms with user impact in mind. Typical examples include untagged legacy PDF invoices, inaccessible third-party payment components, or incomplete captioning pipelines for older videos. If disproportionate burden claims are used, document why, what alternatives exist, and how remediation is scheduled. This transparency reduces complaint escalation risk and supports defensible governance.
Finally, accessibility statements should include feedback channels and competent authority references relevant to the target market. German sellers should include the MLBF contact block where applicable. Sellers in France, Spain, and broader EU contexts should reference the competent national authority and ensure users can submit complaints or accessibility requests. The statement should be reviewed regularly, especially after design system updates, CMS migrations, or checkout vendor changes.
Legal Disclaimer: This tool provides formatting support only and does not constitute legal advice or regulatory representation.