Enforcement
Live
EAA active since 28 Jun 2025
EAA enforcement live · 🇩🇪 Germany
EAA Compliance for Shopify stores in Germany.
Germany enforces the EAA through the BFSG, in force since 28 June 2025. Fines reach €100,000 per violation; the Bundesnetzagentur can also order market withdrawal of non-compliant services.
Maximum fine
€100,000
Per infringement
Key statute
EAA (Directive 2019/882) — WCAG 2.1 AA + Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG)
Standard: WCAG 2.1 + 2.2 AA · EN 301 549 v3.2.1
Regulator
Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur)
Why this matters in Germany
EAA enforcement is live. Demand letters are landing.
Since June 28, 2025, every ecommerce service offered to consumers in Germany has been required to meet WCAG 2.1 + 2.2 Level AA expectations aligned with EN 301 549 v3.2.1 under Directive 2019/882 (the European Accessibility Act). Enforcement is handled by Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), and fines reach €100,000 per infringement. Beyond fines, regulators can order non-compliant services to be withdrawn from the market until remediated.
AccessComply scans every page of your Shopify store against WCAG 2.1 + 2.2 Level AA, generates remediation code for the categories that can be safely automated (typically 60-72% of axe-detectable violations on a clean Online Store 2.0 theme), and produces an accessibility statement plus audit log so you can document what has been fixed and what still needs review.
How AccessComply helps
Four features that matter most in Germany.
WCAG 2.1 + 2.2 AA scan
Crawl every page of your storefront with axe-core. Each violation is mapped to the specific success criterion referenced by the EAA so you can document remediation by criterion.
Real source-code fixes
AccessComply rewrites your Liquid, HTML, and CSS — no overlay widget. Every change is verified by a post-fix re-scan and tracked with full rollback support.
Continuous monitoring
Scheduled re-scans catch regressions when you update your theme or add products. Automatic alerts when new violations appear.
EAA Compliance statement
Generate a public accessibility statement that documents your conformance level and remediation effort — exactly what the EAA Article 14 information requirements ask for.
FAQ
Germany accessibility, answered.
- Do Shopify stores in Germany need to be accessible?
- Yes. Under the European Accessibility Act (EAA), every ecommerce service offered to consumers in Germany must meet WCAG 2.1 + 2.2 Level AA since June 28, 2025. Germany enforces the EAA through the BFSG, in force since 28 June 2025. Fines reach €100,000 per violation; the Bundesnetzagentur can also order market withdrawal of non-compliant services.
- What standard does AccessComply test against in Germany?
- AccessComply scans every page of your storefront against WCAG 2.1 + 2.2 Level AA, the technical standard referenced by the European Accessibility Act. Each violation is mapped to the specific success criterion so you can document remediation work.
- What is the maximum fine for non-compliance in Germany?
- Under EAA (Directive 2019/882) — WCAG 2.1 AA + Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG), the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) can impose fines up to €100,000 per infringement. Repeat or systemic violations can also trigger market-withdrawal orders.
- Can AccessComply fix my Shopify theme automatically?
- Yes. AccessComply applies real source-code fixes to your theme's Liquid, HTML, and CSS — not a JavaScript overlay. The categories AccessComply auto-fixes (alt text, color contrast, ARIA labels, form labels, skip nav, headings, focus order, target size) typically resolve 60-72% of axe-detectable violations on a clean Online Store 2.0 theme like Dawn. Customized themes, content-author issues (link text quality, video captions), and third-party widgets are flagged for manual review with suggested code changes — no automated tool can fully resolve those.
- Will running AccessComply in Germany guarantee I won't be sued?
- No tool can guarantee immunity from lawsuits. AccessComply reduces avoidable risk by remediating common storefront violations, generating an accessibility statement, and keeping audit-trail documentation that can help show completed work if you need to respond to a complaint, regulator, or demand letter.
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