Annex I: the accessibility requirements

1. Overview

Annex I of Directive (EU) 2019/882 has the heading "Accessibility requirements for products and services". It is the only place in the European Accessibility Act (EAA) that actually states requirements. Everything in the Articles points here:

• Article 4 says which sections apply to what
• Article 13 asks service providers to explain how they meet them
• Article 14 allows limited exceptions
• Article 15 lets a harmonised standard stand in for them.

The Annex states outcomes rather than techniques. For example, information must be "made available via more than one sensory channel". Websites must be "perceivable, operable, understandable and robust". The standard says what that means in practice. This keeps the law stable while technology moves. It is also why EN 301 549 matters so much.

The Annex has seven sections:

• Sections I and II for products
• Sections III and IV for services
• Section V for the 112 emergency number
• Section VI for features that other Union acts regulate
• Section VII for the functional performance criteria that fill any gap.

This lesson walks through the sections in order. It finishes with the EN 301 549 V4.1.1 tables that map each requirement to clauses you can test.

Keep Article 4 beside you. Section I applies to all products. Section II applies to all products except self-service terminals. Section III applies to all services except urban, suburban and regional transport. Section IV applies to all services, but only the parts written for their sector.