EN 301 549

EN 301 549 is an EU digital accessibility standard which sets requirements for the public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe. Under the Web Accessibility Directive, public procurement refers to the purchase of goods, services, and works by governments and state-owned entities. Under the European Accessibility Act all almost organizations, including private enterprises will need to comply.

The European Harmonized Accessibility Standards EN 301 549 were developed by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI.[1] This is an evolving standard that was originally part of the Accessible ICT Procurement Toolkit but has since been superseded by subsequent releases of EN 301 549:

  • EN 301 549 V1.1.2 (2015-04)[2]
  • EN 301 549 V2.1.2 (2018-08)[3]
  • EN 301 549 V3.1.1 (2019-11)[4]

In V3.1.1 the Harmonized Accessibility Standards officially adopted The W3C's WCAG 2.1 guidelines.[5] Previous versions of EN 301 549 embraced WCAG 2.0 as an ‘electronic attachment’, but 3.1.1 directly references WCAG 2.1 AA. When WCAG 2.2 is released it will be considered for inclusion in the EU standard.[6]

The EU approved Web Accessibility Directive before this harmonized standard had been developed. The implemented decision provides for the presumption of conformity with the member states.[7] Member states had until September 2018 to create the laws and regulations that enforce the relevant accessibility requirements. Members states are free to determine how they achieve the standards of EN 301 549 and may exceed it, however it is now a minimum standard for the EU.[8]

The standard includes the web and mobile applications, but also addresses a wide range of other technology outside of that covered by WCAG:[9]

  • Information Communications Technology products;
  • Services related to products;
  • Web sites; and
  • Some specific telecommunications services necessary to provide alternative modes of communication for speech modality (such as text or images) and the route could offer access to services such as emergency calls or relay services for everyone.

The following deadlines have been set for all European public entities:[10]

  • Any new public website created on or after September 23, 2019 must comply
  • All public websites (including existing sites) must comply by September 23, 2020
  • All mobile apps in the public sector must comply by June 23, 2021

The EN 301 549 standards are being applied outside the European Union as countries like Australia are adopting it to improve accessibility for their citizens and ease trade with the EU.[11]

References
  1. "New European Standard will help to make ICT products and services accessible for all". cencenelec.eu.
  2. "EN 301 549 V1.1.2 (2015-04)" (PDF). etsi.org.
  3. "EN 301 549 V2.1.2 (2018-08)" (PDF). etsi.org.
  4. "EN 301 549 V3.1.1 (2019-11)" (PDF). etsi.org.
  5. "WCAG 2.1 ADOPTION IN EUROPE". w3.org.
  6. "7 Quick Facts about WCAG 2.2: W3C Publishes First Public Working Draft of Updated Guidelines". levelaccess.com.
  7. "Web Accessibility". europa.eu.
  8. "What does European accessibility standard EN 301 549 mean for US organizations?". deque.com.
  9. "EN 301 549: The European Standard Guidance for the application of the Accessibility Standard EN 301 549 for procurers and suppliers of ICT in Sweden" (PDF). pts.se.
  10. "EN 301 549: The European Standard for Digital Accessibility". essentialaccessibility.com.
  11. "EN 301 549: What it means for Australia". intopia.digital.
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