Clause MappingEU

EU Accessibility Act EN 301 549 clause mapping

Use to structure ICT accessibility evidence, not as a blanket substitute for every European Accessibility Act product or service record.

This page separates standard-based ICT tests from Annex I product and service outcomes, Article 14 exception evidence, technical documentation, and service information.

Author
Sorena AI
Published
May 9, 2026
Updated
Oct 15, 2026
Overview

Use as structured ICT evidence, not as an automatic legal conclusion under the EU Accessibility Act. This page maps edition V3.2.1 (2021-03) for websites, mobile apps, software, hardware interfaces, documents, support channels, relay access, and related ICT combinations. Start with Directive (EU) 2019/882 Annex I, identify the ICT feature, and then record which EN 301 549 clauses supply testable evidence, which EAA outcomes remain outside the standard, and which product, service, or Article 14 records must be kept separately.

Section 1

Start with the EAA requirement, then attach the EN 301 549 clause

Build the mapping in this order: covered EAA product or service, Annex I requirement, ICT feature or content type, applicable clause, test result, and residual EAA evidence. This avoids the common mistake of starting with a WCAG or EN 301 549 checklist and assuming it covers packaging, service terms, built-environment context, Article 14 assessments, or national authority evidence.

For ICT products and services, gives a practical clause structure. Clause 4 contains functional performance statements, clauses 5 to 13 contain technical requirements for ICT, clause 14 defines conformance with the standard, Annex B links requirements to functional performance statements, and Annex C gives procedures for checking individual requirements. Use those parts as evidence labels in the EAA file.

Keep the legal status separate from the technical map. V3.2.1 supports Directive (EU) 2016/2102, the Web Accessibility Directive. ETSI now publishes V4.1.1 (2026-09). Publication of an edition does not by itself establish an EAA presumption of conformity; verify the relevant Official Journal citation and the requirements it covers. A V3.2.1 test can still be useful EAA evidence, but Annex A of that edition does not itself map the EAA or create an EAA presumption of conformity.

  • Record the EAA anchor first: Annex I section, product or service category, and the feature being assessed.
  • Use only where the assessed feature is ICT-based, such as web content, documents, software, hardware controls, communication features, support services, or relay and emergency-service access.
  • For each mapped clause that has a self-scoping precondition, keep that precondition, the pass/fail/not-applicable result, tested version, tester, defect link, remediation status, and retest evidence.
  • When no clause covers the EAA requirement, mark the row as Annex I evidence outside EN 301 549 instead of forcing a weak standard citation.
Section 2

EN 301 549 clauses that usually produce ICT evidence

The clause map should be feature-based, because is organised by ICT functions and product features rather than by EAA commercial categories. A banking app, e-commerce checkout, ticketing terminal, e-reader, or customer-support portal can therefore draw evidence from several clauses at once.

This mapping is a minimum evidence index. It is not a statement that every listed clause applies to every product or service. Most requirements contain a precondition that determines applicability; clause 12 applies to documentation and support services where those materials or services are provided.

  • Clause 4: functional performance statements. Use it to explain which user needs are affected, including use without vision, with limited vision, without hearing, with limited manipulation, with limited cognition, and privacy.
  • Clause 5: generic ICT requirements. Use it for closed functionality, accessibility-feature activation, biometrics alternatives, preservation of accessibility information, operable parts, and related generic controls.
  • Clauses 6 and 7: two-way voice and video. Use them for real-time communication, video communication, audio, captions, sign-language communication, and total-conversation-related evidence where those features exist.
  • Clause 8: hardware. Use it for hardware controls, status indicators, key repeat, double-strike acceptance, and physical interaction evidence for terminals or devices.
  • Clauses 9, 10, and 11: web content, non-web documents, and software. Use them for websites, online applications, downloadable documents, mobile apps, desktop software, and software components. These clauses adapt WCAG 2.1 requirements to their respective content types, but the clause preconditions and EN-specific requirements still have to be evaluated.
  • Clause 12: documentation and support services. Use it for product documentation, accessible documentation formats, help desks, call centres, technical support, relay services, and training services.
  • Clause 13: relay and emergency-service access. Use it where ICT systems are specified for relay services or emergency services.
  • Clause 14 and Annex C: conformance and test procedures. Use them to record applicable preconditions, results, not-applicable reasoning, and exceptional not-testable outcomes.
Recommended next step

Build an EAA clause-to-evidence table

Turn EN 301 549 test results, EAA Annex I records, supplier evidence, exceptions, and remediation status into one reviewable accessibility evidence pack.

Section 3

What remains EAA Annex I or product-service evidence

can support many ICT controls, but the EAA file still needs evidence that the actual product or service meets the Directive's Annex I outcomes. Keep separate rows for information provided with the product, instructions, packaging where relevant, service information, websites and mobile apps, support services, sector-specific service functions, and Article 14 exception records.

For products, the technical documentation must show the applicable accessibility requirements, the design, manufacture, and operation evidence, harmonised standards applied in full or in part, and the solutions used where standards were not applied. For services, the provider's information must describe the service, explain its operation, and describe how relevant Annex I requirements are met.

  • Product information and instructions: keep Annex I evidence for sensory channels, perceivability, understandable presentation, text formats, non-text alternatives, interface descriptions, assistive-technology interoperability, and tested assistive devices.
  • Packaging and installation or maintenance instructions: keep product evidence outside when the issue is physical packaging, storage, disposal, or non-ICT instruction delivery.
  • Service information: keep general terms, equivalent service documents, accessible service descriptions, operating explanations, and monitoring evidence required for services.
  • Sector-specific service functions: keep EAA-specific evidence for electronic communications, audiovisual media access, transport information, consumer banking, e-books, e-commerce, and emergency communications where applicable.
  • Article 14 records: keep any fundamental-alteration or disproportionate-burden assessment, authority information, and exception statement separately from pass/fail rows.
  • Market-surveillance and authority response: keep product identification, non-compliance analysis, corrective-action evidence, withdrawal or restriction decisions where relevant, and the technical documentation authority may request.
Section 4

Build and maintain the mapping table

Use a table so each row lets a reviewer trace an EAA requirement to a tested ICT clause or a documented non-ICT evidence record. Version the table because a product release, content change, support-process change, or new standard edition can change the result.

Do not claim that an row creates an EAA presumption of conformity unless the relevant standard or part has been cited in the Official Journal for Directive (EU) 2019/882 and the row falls within the cited coverage. A citation for the Web Accessibility Directive does not transfer that legal effect to the EAA. If the team cannot verify the EAA citation and its conditions from official sources, describe the row as technical implementation evidence.

  • Suggested columns: EAA product or service, Annex I section, feature, clause, self-scoping precondition where applicable, applicability result, test method, evidence link, defects, remediation owner, retest date, and out-of-standard EAA evidence needed.
  • For web, document, and software rows, map the tested page, document, app screen, component, or release build instead of citing only a generic product name.
  • For support-service rows, attach scripts, support-channel accessibility checks, accessible documentation formats, and evidence that communication needs are accommodated.
  • For supplier evidence, require the exact product model, service version, configuration, language, standard edition, clauses covered, test methods, exceptions, unresolved failures, and EAA Annex I areas the supplier statement does not cover.
  • For gaps, use one of three labels: not ICT, Annex I evidence required; ICT feature exists, test pending; or Article 14 assessment needed.
Primary sources

References and citations

etsi.org4 citations
Referenced sections
  • Historical overview of EN 301 549 V3.2.1's ICT scope, self-scoping structure, Web Accessibility Directive role and clause organisation. Use the V4.1.1 deliverable for the subsequently published EAA-oriented edition.
  • Identifies V3.2.1 as supporting the Web Accessibility Directive and explains the self-scoping ICT structure.
  • Supports the clause structure: functional performance statements, clauses 5 to 13, self-scoping requirements, Annex B relationships, and Annex C testing procedures.
Show 1 more
  • Historical overview of the standard's ICT scope and V3.2.1's Web Accessibility Directive role, including the EAA revision context.
eur-lex.europa.eu3 citations
Referenced sections
  • Primary EAA source for Annex I product and service requirements, Article 14 assessments, technical documentation, service information, and market-surveillance records.
  • Supports the need to map back to the EAA's Annex I accessibility requirements and separate product, service, exception, and documentation records.
  • Supports the separate EAA evidence buckets for Annex I products and services, Article 14 assessments, technical documentation, and service information.
commission.europa.eu2 citations
Referenced sections
  • Commission source for accessibility standardisation and EN 301 549 as the European Standard resulting from ICT accessibility standardisation work.
  • Supports EN 301 549 as the European ICT accessibility standard developed through Commission accessibility standardisation work.
commission.europa.eu2 citations
Referenced sections
  • Commission policy source for the EAA's internal-market purpose and covered product and service context.
  • Supports the EAA context: covered products and services were selected for internal-market accessibility harmonisation.
single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu2 citations
Referenced sections
  • Source for the harmonised-standards context used to avoid unsupported presumption-of-conformity claims.
  • Supports treating harmonised-standard references and Official Journal citation as the boundary for presumption-of-conformity claims.
etsi.org
Referenced sections
  • Published European standard. The cover identifies V4.1.1 (2026-09); its foreword distinguishes publication from Official Journal citation and the resulting legal presumption.
etsi.org
Referenced sections
  • Official ETSI Human Factors page, retrieved 15 October 2026, listing published EN 301 549 V4.1.1 (2026-09). Publication is separate from Official Journal citation.
etsi.org
Referenced sections
  • Official ETSI final draft on approval supporting the limited statement about developing EAA mappings and clause changes; the document identifies itself as a final draft.
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