EN 301 549: the standard nobody reads (but everyone should know about)
You've probably heard of WCAG. Maybe RGAA if you work with French clients. But EN 301 549? That's the one most people draw a blank on. And yet, it's the umbrella standard for all digital accessibility in Europe, published by CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI. It's the standard referenced by both the EAA and the Web Accessibility Directive (2016/2102).
How it relates to WCAG (short answer: for web, it's the same thing)
Here's what it actually means for you: Section 9 of EN 301 549 fully incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content. The mapping is direct -- complying with WCAG 2.1 AA equals complying with EN 301 549 Section 9. If you're already WCAG-compliant, you're covered on the web side.
Where it goes further than WCAG
This is the real differentiator. EN 301 549 covers territory WCAG doesn't touch: general ICT requirements (Section 5), two-way voice communication like video conferencing (Section 6), video capabilities including captions and audio description (Section 7), physical hardware (Section 8), web content (Section 9), non-web documents like PDFs (Section 10), native and mobile software (Section 11), documentation and support (Section 12), and relay/emergency services (Section 13).
Public procurement: where EN 301 549 really matters
If you sell to European public bodies, this standard is unavoidable. It's mandatory in EU public procurement for ICT. Suppliers must demonstrate compliance, typically via a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) or a conformity declaration. I'll be honest -- I've seen a lot of fairly hollow VPATs out there. But procurement teams are getting savvier about demanding real evidence.
Think of EN 301 549 as the "European RGAA" with a much broader scope than web alone. For web: don't stress, it maps to WCAG. For everything else digital: this is the standard you need to know.