The European Accessibility Act is now law across all 27 EU member states. Every country has set its own penalties. Some are eye-watering. Spain can fine you up to €1,000,000. Hungary can take 5% of your annual turnover. Germany can stack fines of €100,000 per individual violation.

But Ireland? Well they like to do things a little different…

The only country with prison time

Ireland is the only EU member state that provides for criminal penalties in cases of serious non-compliance with accessibility requirements, accessibility standards, and EAA compliance Ireland regulations, including the accessibility of services for individuals with disabilities. Under Irish law, such breaches related to the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and accessibility requirements for individuals with disabilities can be prosecuted as criminal offences.

Less serious cases are handled in a lower court and can result in a fine of up to €5,000, up to six months in prison, or mandatory community services. More serious cases go to a higher court, where fines can reach €60,000 and prison sentences up to 18 months.

And it's not just the business that's exposed. Responsible individuals can include directors, managers, officers, or any person whose actions, approval, or neglect led to the non-compliance.

That means if your company is found to be deliberately ignoring EAA requirements and accessibility requirements in Ireland, you — personally — could end up in court.

Why UK businesses need to pay attention

This isn't an abstract EU compliance issue. Ireland is one of the UK's most significant trading partners. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Ireland was £87.4 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2025. Ireland was the UK's 6th largest trading partner, accounting for 4.6% of total UK trade.

Tens of thousands of UK businesses sell products and services to Irish consumers — through ecommerce, digital platforms, banking services, transport, and more — while ensuring accessibility for individuals with disabilities. If your business reaches Irish consumers, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and accessibility requirements and standards apply to you, necessitating EAA compliance in Ireland. And in Ireland, that exposure carries criminal risk in a way it simply doesn't anywhere else in Europe.

How does EAA compliance in Ireland compare to the rest of the EU?

Most EU countries have taken a financial approach to enforcement of accessibility services, aligning with accessibility requirements. Here's a quick snapshot:

• Germany — Up to €100,000 per violation. A site with multiple accessibility failures could face compounding fines quickly.
  
• Spain — Up to €1,000,000 for serious violations in accessibility services, plus the possibility of a two-year operational ban.
  
• France — Fines up to €250,000, plus a separate annual penalty of €25,000 for failing to publish an accessibility statement . France was also the first EU country to file EAA enforcement actions, moving against four major retailers in November 2025.
  
• Hungary — The highest potential fine in the EU, up to €1,261,164 or 5% of annual net turnover.
  
• Netherlands — Fines up to €900,000, with the ability to impose immediate penalties for serious violations without warning, which is rigorously enforced under the European Aviation area (EAA) regulations, ensuring compliance with accessibility services.
  

Significant sums. But none of those countries can put your CEO in handcuffs. Ireland can, especially with regard to services and EAA compliance Ireland requires.

What triggers criminal liability?

Imprisonment is reserved for the most egregious cases — deliberate and sustained refusal to comply after formal enforcement action. This isn't a law designed to catch businesses who made a good-faith effort and fell short. It's aimed at businesses who know what's required, such as adhering to accessibility standards and accessibility requirements for people with disabilities, and choose to ignore it anyway.

Enforcement in Ireland is spread across multiple authorities depending on your sector: the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) for products and ecommerce, ComReg for electronic communications, the Central Bank for consumer banking, and the National Transport Authority for transport services.

The deadline has passed. What now?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) compliance deadline for new products and services was 28 June 2025. If your products or services reach Irish consumers and you haven’t started meeting accessibility requirements and your accessibility journey, the clock is already running, and in Ireland, the stakes are higher than anywhere else in the EU.