The European accessibility standard for ICT products and services, EN 301 549 V4.1.1, has been updated to incorporate the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
EN 301 549 V4.1.1 was published on 2 September 2026 and revises the previous V3.2.1 edition. The new version updates its requirements for web content, non-web documents and software to align with WCAG 2.2.
For web content, this introduces six additional Level A and AA success criteria compared with WCAG 2.1. These address Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), Dragging Movements, Target Size (Minimum), Consistent Help, Redundant Entry and Accessible Authentication (Minimum).
EN 301 549 covers accessibility requirements for a broad range of information and communications technology (ICT), extending beyond websites to areas including software, electronic documents, hardware and communications technologies. The latest revision is associated with both the European Web Accessibility Directive and the European Accessibility Act.
The publication of the updated standard does not itself mean that WCAG 2.2 has immediately replaced WCAG 2.1 as the harmonised European benchmark. EN 301 549 V3.2.1 remains the version currently cited in the Official Journal of the European Union for the Web Accessibility Directive.
The update may also have implications for Australia. Australia’s current ICT accessibility standard, AS EN 301 549:2024, directly adopts EN 301 549:2020 (V3.1.1) and incorporates WCAG 2.1.
As Australia has previously adopted EN 301 549 as the basis for its own standard, the publication of V4.1.1 is an important development to watch. If a future Australian revision adopts the updated European standard, it could bring WCAG 2.2 requirements into a future version of AS EN 301 549.
This could also be relevant to ICT procurement. The Australian Human Rights Commission notes that AS EN 301 549:2024 is applicable to most ICT goods or services being procured by government.
For now, AS EN 301 549:2024 continues to reference WCAG 2.1. However, the Australian Human Rights Commission guidance on digital accessibility standards recommends that WCAG 2.2 be used where appropriate.
The publication of EN 301 549 V4.1.1 is therefore an important development for digital accessibility in Europe and one to watch in Australia as accessibility standards continue to evolve.