VPAT for the EU: EN 301 549 and the EAA
Europe has its own accessibility standard, EN 301 549, and its own law driving demand for accessibility reporting: the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which sets requirements for a wide range of products and services sold in the EU. EN 301 549 incorporates WCAG (currently 2.1 Level A and AA) for web content and adds requirements covering non-web software, documents, hardware and support services — conceptually similar to how Section 508 extends WCAG in the United States.
For a vendor, the upshot is that European buyers and public bodies increasingly request accessibility documentation aligned with EN 301 549. VPAT 2.5 anticipates this with an EU edition and an international (INT) edition that combines WCAG, Section 508 and EN 301 549 into one report. If you sell across markets, the international edition lets you answer a U.S. agency and an EU buyer from a single, consistent document.
The good news for anyone who has already done a WCAG ACR is that the heavy lifting carries over. EN 301 549's web requirements are WCAG 2.1 A and AA — the same 50 success criteria VPAT Studio already covers in its WCAG edition. The EU-specific additions sit alongside those tables. Your conformance findings against WCAG do not change; you are adding context, not re-testing the web layer.
VPAT Studio's data model treats editions as data, so the WCAG 2.1 criteria you complete are reusable across editions. Today the tool ships the WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 editions; the EN 301 549 web baseline is the same WCAG 2.1 A and AA set you can already fill in and export.
Open the ACR builder — free, no upload
Approaching EU accessibility reporting
- Confirm whether the buyer cites EN 301 549, the EAA, or simply WCAG — the web baseline is WCAG 2.1 A and AA in all cases.
- Reuse your WCAG 2.1 findings; EN 301 549's web requirements are those same success criteria.
- Document non-web software, document and support-service accessibility where the buyer requires the full EN 301 549 scope.
- For multi-market sales, consider one combined report rather than separate U.S. and EU documents.
Questions
Is a VPAT recognized in Europe?
VPAT 2.5 has an EU edition built around EN 301 549, and many European buyers accept ACRs in this format. Always confirm the specific standard and scope the buyer requires.
Does the European Accessibility Act require a VPAT?
The EAA sets accessibility obligations; it does not mandate the VPAT format specifically. But an EN 301 549-aligned ACR is a practical, widely-understood way to document conformance for EU procurement.
Can I reuse my WCAG work for the EU?
Yes. EN 301 549's web content requirements are WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA — the same criteria as a WCAG-edition ACR — so your findings transfer directly.