Web Accessibility Guidelines (WAD)

What is the WAD?
The Web Accessibility Directive (WAD) and the European Accessibility Act (EAA) are aimed to create more inclusion and diversity in web content. These directives has now been expanded to include more companies in the private sectors and are mandatory to be implemented.

Who is exempt from the WAD?
Companies who are considered to be “microenterprises” are exempt from the WAD. Microenterprises are defined as a company with fewer than 10 employees and with an annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million. Note that the excemption requirement are recomendations from the EU and it’s up to each member country to regulate who is excempt from the law and why.

Should my company enroll?
The short answer is yes, you should.

For non-exempt companies All EU member countries are compelled to enforce the WAD as national law. In Sweden, the WAD will be enforced as law in June 2025. This means that for non-exempt companies, the WAD is mandatory by law and not complying will result in fines, similar to the GDPR laws.
For exempt companies While there’s currently isn’t any definitive plans to remove the exemptions from the WAD, there might be alteration to either the directive or the laws in each member country in the future.
The WAD is designed to be a “best practise” and has the overarching goal of creating digital harmonisation across the EU. So implementation the WAD today, even if you’re currently exempt, will be a great way for your company to stay with the progression of EU based companies.
Read more about the WAD in Sweden at Mediemyndigheten