Who must publish one
Public sector bodies: the Web Accessibility Directive (2016/2102, Article 7) requires a detailed, clear statement for every website and mobile app, kept up to date and based on the EU model.
Private companies under the European Accessibility Act: there is no model statement. A provider of an online shop or another covered service must put the information on how the service meets the accessibility requirements in its general terms and conditions or an equivalent document, in written and oral form (Article 13(2) and Annex V). A separate statement page is good practice on top of that, not a substitute.
The six mandatory parts of the EU model
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523 lists what a public body's statement must contain:
- Scope: which website or app the statement covers.
- Compliance status: fully, partially or not compliant with the standard.
- Non-accessible content: what does not work, why (non-compliance, disproportionate burden, outside the scope) and which accessible alternative exists.
- Preparation: the date the statement was prepared and the method used (self-assessment or an assessment by a third party); optionally the date of the last review.
- Feedback: a description of and a link to the feedback mechanism, and the contact of the responsible person or unit.
- Enforcement: a description of the enforcement procedure with a link and the contact of the enforcement body.
The statement has to be based on an actual evaluation of the site. A text generator alone cannot provide that.
How often to update it and where to link it
The directive asks for regular updates; the decision encourages Member States to have statements reviewed at least once a year. Some countries make the yearly review binding: Slovenia's ZDSMA does (Article 7).
The model says the link should be placed prominently on the home page or be available on every page. Germany's BITV 2.0 makes reachability from every page mandatory for public bodies.
What Sitequiry checks
The free test looks for a link to an accessibility statement in six languages. The Site Report also opens the statement and checks four points by its wording: whether it states a compliance status, whether it carries a date from the last 13 months, whether it offers a way to give feedback, and whether it names the enforcement procedure. For online shops it checks whether the terms and conditions mention accessibility at all. These are text signals; a person reads the statement.
Frequently asked questions
Does my private online shop need an accessibility statement?
The European Accessibility Act asks for the accessibility information in your terms and conditions, not for a statement in the public sector format. Microenterprises that provide services (fewer than 10 people and up to EUR 2 million turnover or balance sheet total) are exempt. A voluntary statement page still helps visitors.
Can I copy a statement from another site?
No. The statement has to describe your site and rest on an evaluation of it; a copied text describes someone else's problems.
Must the statement say "fully compliant"?
Only if an evaluation shows that. "Partially compliant" with a clear list of what does not work yet is the honest and common case.
Sources
Check the accessibility of your page
The free test checks one page against WCAG 2.2 A/AA rules and shows the first problems to fix. The Site Report checks up to 20 pages of your site.