guide
EAA for media and publishing sites in Italy — compliance checklist
Operating a media & publishing business in Italy after 28 June 2025 means complying with the country's national EAA transposition (Legislative Decree 82/2022) layered on top of EN 301 549 — and addressing media & publishing-specific failure modes including auto-generated captions of poor quality and missing audio descriptions for visual content.
EAA in Italy
Transposition: Legislative Decree 82/2022. Surveillance: AgID. Max penalty: €40,000 + service withdrawal.
Media & Publishing accessibility — what is in scope
Media organisations face dual obligations: WCAG accessibility for their digital surfaces and CVAA-style captioning rules for video. The EAA explicitly covers "audiovisual media services" and ebooks; streaming platforms operating in the EU must comply by 28 June 2025.
Common failures in media and publishing sites
• Auto-generated captions of poor quality
• Missing audio descriptions for visual content
• Inaccessible paywalls and subscription flows
• Inaccessible ebook formats
• Video players without keyboard control
EAA compliance checklist
1. Confirm in-scope status. 2. Map to EN 301 549. 3. Audit and remediate. 4. Publish a localised accessibility statement (Article 13). 5. Maintain technical documentation for market surveillance.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Cited answers. Sourced. Updated as standards and case law change.
Does the EAA apply to non-EU media and publishing sites selling into Italy?
Yes. The EAA applies to any product or service placed on the EU market or offered to EU consumers, regardless of vendor headquarters.
What is the maximum penalty in Italy?
€40,000 + service withdrawal
Are auto-captions enough for WCAG compliance?
Not consistently. WCAG 1.2.2 requires accurate captions. Auto-generated captions typically miss the accuracy bar (industry studies place YouTube auto-caption accuracy at ~70%) and are not considered sufficient by themselves. Human review or hybrid captioning is the standard remediation.
What does the CVAA require for online video?
The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act requires full-length video programmed for TV and posted online to be captioned within prescribed timeframes. The FCC has issued implementing rules; video without captions can trigger enforcement.
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