Romania and the European Accessibility Act: Key Compliance Requirements

Practical guide explaining how Romanian organisations should approach compliance with the European Accessibility Act. Covers scope, EN 301 549 and WCAG references, audits, procurement, testing and documentation with a clear checklist and next steps.

European Accessibility Act in Romania: what organisations must do

The European Accessibility Act in Romania introduces EU-level accessibility rules for certain products and services. If you make, sell, buy or procure digital platforms, consumer devices or public services in Romania, you must check how the Act was transposed into Romanian law and what concrete steps your organisation needs to take.

Quick overview: scope and purpose

The Directive sets harmonised accessibility requirements across the EU for a defined list of products and services. The aim is to remove barriers that prevent people with disabilities from using everyday goods and services. Typical categories that the Act covers are information and communication technology, consumer devices, banking and e-commerce services, and selected transport and audiovisual services.

Which technical standards and rules to use

For ICT and digital content, two technical references matter most:

EN 301 549 — the European accessibility standard for ICT products and services. It maps to web and application checkpoints and to assistive technologies.
WCAG — the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (commonly WCAG 2.1 or 2.2) for web and mobile content. Organisations use the WCAG success criteria to measure conformance.

Use EN 301 549 and the appropriate WCAG level (commonly Level AA in procurement and conformity work) as your baseline. For non-digital products and services, follow the national transposition and any referenced harmonised standards.

How to check Romania-specific obligations

Member states implement the Directive through national legislation. To find Romania-specific obligations:

Locate the national law or government ordinance that transposes the Directive.
Identify the national authority or regulator responsible for accessibility enforcement and complaints.
Check official guidance, technical annexes and any national timelines or exemptions.

If you cannot find clear guidance online, ask legal counsel or contact the ministry responsible for digital affairs or consumer protection in Romania.

Practical compliance checklist for organisations in Romania

Follow this step-by-step checklist to move from uncertainty to demonstrable compliance.

Scope assessment: List products, services and procurement categories your organisation supplies or uses. Mark items likely in scope of the Act, such as websites, mobile apps, ATMs, telephones, e-books or ticketing interfaces.
Gap audit: Run an accessibility audit against EN 301 549 and relevant WCAG level. Include automated checks, manual inspection and assistive-technology testing.
Prioritise fixes: Triage issues by user impact and frequency. Fix high-impact barriers first: keyboard access, focus order, missing captions, unreadable colour contrast, and missing form labels.
Make technical changes: Implement code-level fixes, update content workflows and configure platforms to generate accessible outputs (PDF alternatives, captions, semantic markup, ARIA where needed).
Procurement and contracts: Add accessibility requirements into RFPs and supplier contracts. Demand accessibility evidence, test results and maintenance obligations.
Documentation: Keep an accessibility statement, a conformance report and an internal remediation log. Publish a clear feedback and complaints process in Romanian and accessible formats.
Training and governance: Train product teams, content editors and procurement officers. Assign responsibility for ongoing compliance and monitoring.
User testing: Include people with disabilities in testing before release and after major updates. Their feedback often finds issues automated tools miss.

Examples of common technical requirements

Keyboard navigation and visible focus indicators.
Text alternatives for images and meaningful link text.
Correct semantic HTML and ARIA usage when necessary.
Captions for prerecorded video and live caption where required.
Readable text contrast (WCAG contrast ratios such as 4.5:1 for normal text).
Accessible forms with labels, instructions and error handling.

Testing, tools and evidence you should keep

Use a combination of automated scanners, manual checks and assistive-technology tests. Typical tools and methods include:

Automated testing: Axe, Lighthouse, WAVE or similar to catch common issues.
Manual checks: keyboard-only navigation, focus order review, code inspection for semantic elements.
Assistive technology: NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack and screen-magnifier testing for real-world coverage.
User testing: sessions with people who have different disabilities and mobility, vision or hearing needs.

Keep records of audits, remediation plans and test evidence. These form part of your defence if a complaint or enforcement action occurs.

Procurement, public sector and suppliers

Public bodies and organisations that buy accessible goods or services must include accessibility in procurement. When drafting tender documents, require:

Clear accessibility requirements (reference EN 301 549 and the WCAG level you expect).
Evidence of prior conformance, such as conformance reports and test results.
Ongoing maintenance and update obligations for accessibility.

For suppliers, include acceptance tests and penalties or remedial clauses for persistent non-compliance.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them (information gain)

Many organisations treat accessibility as a one-off project. That creates recurring risks. These specific mistakes are common in Romania as elsewhere:

Relying solely on automated testing. Automated tools catch less than half of accessibility problems.
Publishing incomplete accessibility statements without remediation timelines or contact details.
Not testing in Romanian language contexts. Local language content can introduce accessibility issues that are invisible in English testing.
Assuming third-party widgets or vendor software are compliant without written evidence and acceptance testing.

To avoid these, plan for continuous testing, demand contractual evidence from vendors and include Romanian-language user testing.

Handling complaints and enforcement

Set up a clear, accessible channel for users to report problems. Your process should:

Accept reports in multiple formats, including email, web form and phone.
Provide acknowledgement and a timeline for response.
Record remedial actions and closure dates.

Also maintain an internal log of complaints and fixes. That log is key when demonstrating good faith to a regulator.

Next practical steps for Romanian organisations

Start with a short, practical programme:

Confirm which of your products and services are in scope under Romania’s transposition of the Act.
Commission a baseline accessibility audit using EN 301 549 and WCAG as references.
Produce a remediation roadmap with deadlines, owners and test criteria.
Update procurement templates and vendor contracts to require accessible delivery and evidence.
Train staff and schedule quarterly checks and user tests.

For legal certainty, consult a Romanian lawyer with accessibility and public procurement experience or contact the national authority listed in the transposing legislation.