Compliance · European standard
EN 301 549, explained for website teams
EN 301 549 is the European standard for the accessibility of information and communication technology, published by ETSI. It is the standard EU accessibility law points to: public-sector websites under the Web Accessibility Directive, and consumer services under the European Accessibility Act. This page summarises it. It is not legal advice.
What it covers
The standard covers far more than websites: hardware, two-way voice communication, video, documentation and support services. For a website team three clauses matter most:
- Clause 9, Web. Web pages and web applications.
- Clause 10, Non-web documents. PDFs and office files you publish.
- Clause 11, Non-web software. Native apps and desktop software (called "Software" in V3.2.1).
Clause 9 is written as WCAG. In V3.2.1, conforming to WCAG 2.1 Level AA is equivalent to conforming to clauses 9.1 to 9.4 and 9.6. In V4.1.1 the same equivalence holds for WCAG 2.2 Level AA, which the standard notes is identical to ISO/IEC 40500:2025.
V3.2.1 and V4.1.1
| Version | Published | Web clauses follow | Legal status |
|---|---|---|---|
| V3.2.1 | March 2021 | WCAG 2.1 Level AA | Cited in the Official Journal under the Web Accessibility Directive by Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1339, applying from 12 February 2022. Remains the reference until V4.1.1 is cited. |
| V4.1.1 | September 2026 | WCAG 2.2 Level AA | Adopted 24 August 2026. Prepared to support both the Web Accessibility Directive and the European Accessibility Act. Gives a presumption of conformity once cited in the Official Journal. |
ETSI set 30 November 2026 as the date V4.1.1 is announced nationally, 31 May 2027 for national publication, and 31 May 2028 for withdrawing conflicting national standards. V4.1.1 also revises the real-time text requirements and adds annexes that map the standard to each Directive. If you are fixing a site now, fixing to WCAG 2.2 Level AA covers both versions.
Reporting against EN 301 549
On the Team plan and above, Accessibility Pro reports include a Compliance tab that maps each finding to its EN 301 549 V3.2.1 clause and marks every criterion as supported, partial, not supported or not tested. Criteria no automated engine evaluates are shown as not tested, never as supported, and the table can be exported as JSON for a legal or procurement review. How the scanner performs is published in the accuracy benchmark and the WCAG 2.2 checklist lists the criteria clause 9 is built on.
Sources
Checked on 2026-09-13. V4.1.1 had not been cited in the Official Journal on that date. This page is a summary, not legal advice.