EN 301 549
EN 301 549 is the harmonized European standard for accessibility requirements for ICT products and services, maintained by ETSI/CEN/CENELEC. The current version (V3.2.1, 2021) incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the web-content baseline; V4.x is in draft to incorporate WCAG 2.2.
Detailed explanation
EN 301 549 is the technical reference standard underpinning the European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882) and the EU Web Accessibility Directive (2016/2102). When EU law says "accessible", EN 301 549 says specifically how.
The standard covers far more than web content — it includes hardware, two-way voice communication, real-time text, and biometric authentication. Chapter 9 (Web) is the part Shopify merchants care about, and it normatively references WCAG 2.1 AA.
V3.2.1 was published in March 2021. V4.x (incorporating WCAG 2.2) is in draft; until it is finalized and harmonized by the European Commission, V3.2.1 remains the legal bar.
How this applies to Shopify stores
EAA enforcement uses EN 301 549 as the technical test. AccessComply's scan output maps to the EN 301 549 chapter-9 web requirements, including the WCAG 2.1 + early-2.2 criteria EU regulators cite in market-surveillance actions.
Primary source: etsi.org