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Web compliance and accessibility: if you export to Europe, it is already mandatory

Web accessibility has stopped being optional for any Panamanian company that sells to the European Union. The European Accessibility Act has been in force since June 2025, with fines from €5,000 to €500,000 and lawsuits that have already begun. We audit your site against the standard the law requires —and review your Panama Law 81 compliance along the way— so you know exactly where you stand and what is missing. No alarmism and no smoke: clear information and an actionable plan.

See the plans ↓ Talk first
€5K–500K EAA fine already enforced
Jun 2025 EAA in force applies if you export to the EU
WCAG 2.1 AA legal standard ~87 criteria
B/.1K–10K Law 81 fine enforced by ANTAI
Notice: this page is informational and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change and every case has nuances. We provide the technical diagnosis and the map; the legal interpretation of your specific situation is for a lawyer.

Why this went from "best practice" to a finable obligation

For years, web accessibility was something companies did "if there was time left." That changed on 28 June 2025, when the European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into force. The key point almost no one in Panama connects to their business is that the EAA does not apply only to European companies: it applies to any company that sells products or services to the EU market, wherever it is based. An offshore fintech in Panama with clients in Spain, a medical tourism clinic treating German patients, an agro-exporter with B2B buyers in Europe: all fall within scope.

And it is not theory sleeping in an official gazette. The first non-compliance lawsuits were filed in France in late 2025, audits are underway in other countries, and the documented fines range from around €60,000 in Ireland to figures close to €900,000 in Sweden, within a general range of €5,000 to €500,000 depending on the country. Enforcement also works in cascade: a non-compliance finding in one market can trigger investigations in others where the same company operates. For a business serving several EU countries, that means multiple exposure at once.

What standard you have to meet, concretely

The current legal benchmark is WCAG 2.1 level AA, the standard referenced by the European norm EN 301 549 in its current version. WCAG 2.2 already exists and is expected to enter the European legal framework during 2026, so the prudent move is to align with 2.2 now to avoid redoing the work in a few months. WCAG AA gathers around 87 criteria grouped into four principles: that content be perceivable (it can be seen and heard), operable (it can be used with a keyboard, not only a mouse), understandable (the content and interface are clear) and robust (it works with screen readers and assistive technologies).

In practice, complying means measurable things: sufficient color contrast between text and background, full keyboard navigation without traps, descriptive alternative text on images, forms with correct labels, semantic heading structure, and interactive components that screen readers announce well. There is a market fact worth keeping in mind: by 2026 around 20% of the EU population is over 65, so accessibility goes beyond avoiding a fine: it is about not leaving out a growing share of your real customers.

Not just Europe: Panama's Law 81 counts too

While we review accessibility, it is worth looking at the other front almost every Panamanian site has open without knowing it: data protection. Law 81 has been in force since 2021, is enforced by ANTAI with fines of B/.1,000 to B/.10,000 depending on severity, and applies to any site that collects personal data —a contact form, a newsletter, a signup or a checkout already put you within scope—. We verify that you have a clear, visible privacy policy, real consent (not pre-ticked boxes), a mechanism for people to exercise their ARCOP rights, and security conditions for the data. We include it in the same review because it answers the same underlying question: does your site meet today what the law requires? You can go deeper into the full framework in our guide to web legal compliance in Panama.

The EAA already applies: what changed and whom it reaches in 2026

It is worth being concrete with the dates and numbers, because this stopped being theoretical. The European Accessibility Act (EU Directive 2019/882) became enforceable on June 28, 2025 across all 27 member states, and its requirements also reach businesses outside the EU that sell products or provide services to European consumers —e-commerce, banking, transport booking, digital content. That is, a Panamanian company selling online to customers in Europe may be obligated, even without an office there. There is an important nuance: legacy products and services placed on the market before June 2025 have a grace period extending to June 2030, but anything new launched after that date must comply from day one.

The fines are not symbolic and vary by country: from around 40,000 euros or 5% of turnover in Italy, 50,000 in France and 100,000 in Germany, up to a maximum of one million euros in Spain. For now regulators are in a "guidance first, fines later" posture, but enforcement is accelerating and disability advocacy groups have already filed lawsuits against major retailers. The honest reading is that there is no need to panic, but there is a need to get moving: documenting your efforts and having a roadmap is, in practice, what separates those who get time to remediate from those who get a penalty. Compliance is now an ongoing practice, not a one-time project.

WCAG 2.1 AA: the standard that satisfies almost every law at once

The good news, amid the regulatory tangle, is that almost every law converges on the same technical standard: WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The EAA relies on the European standard EN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA for web content; in the United States, the Department of Justice set WCAG 2.1 AA as mandatory for state and local government sites, with an April 24, 2026 deadline for large entities; the European public-sector directive (WAD) and Canada's AODA point to the same level. This means reaching WCAG 2.1 AA once positions you, at a stroke, across several jurisdictions, instead of chasing each law separately.

The standard is organized into four principles easy to remember by their acronym POUR: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust —that content can be seen or heard, that the site works without a mouse, that it is understandable and compatible with assistive technologies. It is worth knowing where it is heading: the EN 301 549 V4.1.1 version, planned for 2026, is expected to incorporate WCAG 2.2 AA, raising the bar a little, and later WCAG 3.0 will arrive with a different model. An honest warning, backed by the US Department of Justice itself: the automated widgets or "overlays" that promise instant accessibility do not guarantee compliance; real accessibility requires fixing the underlying code, not layering on a patch. That is why we build accessible from the foundation instead of hanging a plugin that gives a false sense of security.

How we work: audit, prioritize, remediate

First, the audit. We review your site against WCAG AA combining professional tools (WAVE, axe DevTools, the Lighthouse audit and Pa11y) with manual review, because automated tools detect only part of the real problems: the rest requires a human eye. We add the Law 81 compliance review. The deliverable is a prioritized report where each finding carries its WCAG criterion, its severity and the estimated remediation effort.

Then, you decide. With that report you can implement the corrections with your own team —it is written to be actionable without us— or contract the remediation with us. If your site is built on a solid technical base, much of WCAG AA is already met out of the box and remediation is light. If it carries structural problems, we tell you frankly, along with the realistic options and their cost, instead of selling you a patch that does not hold.

At the end, evidence. We close with a documented accessibility statement and a maintenance plan, because conformance is not a permanent seal: every future change to the site can affect it. That reduces your exposure in a real and measurable way, which is the honest thing one can offer. What we do not do is promise "zero fines": that guarantee depends on legal and usage factors no provider controls.

Plans and public pricing

Three plans with fixed prices. The price you see is what you pay for the deliverables described. If your site has complexity outside the standard range, we say so before starting, with an explicit quote.

Diagnosis

Compliance audit

USD 449one time

To know exactly where you stand. WCAG AA accessibility audit plus Law 81 review, with a prioritized report. Remediation not included.

  • WCAG 2.1 AA audit (tools + manual review)
  • Law 81 data compliance review
  • Prioritized report with criterion, severity and effort per finding
  • Actionable list to implement with your team
  • 45-minute review call
  • Email support for 7 days
Delivery: 5 to 7 business days · Up to 100 URLs
Most requested

Audit + remediation

USD 1,290from

To leave the site compliant, not just diagnosed. Full audit plus correction of the findings, with documented evidence at closing.

  • Everything in the Diagnosis plan
  • Remediation of WCAG AA accessibility findings
  • Law 81 compliance adjustments (policy, consent, ARCOP)
  • Documented accessibility statement
  • Verification re-audit after the fixes
  • 60-minute closing call
  • Email support for 30 days
Delivery: 2 to 4 weeks · Final price based on the diagnosis findings
Ongoing

Managed compliance

USD 180/ month

For sites that change often and need to keep their conformance. Continuous monitoring and maintenance of accessibility and compliance.

  • Quarterly WCAG AA accessibility re-audit
  • Review of every relevant change to the site
  • Update of the accessibility statement
  • Tracking of regulatory changes (EAA, WCAG 2.2, Law 81)
  • Quarterly status report
  • No lock-in: cancel whenever you want
Requires a prior audit or remediation · Monthly billing

Remediation prices start from a minimum and are finalized after the diagnosis, because the real work depends on how many findings there are and on the site's technical base. We prefer an honest price after looking at your site over a made-up number before seeing it.

Who needs this most urgently

If your company is in one of these groups, the EAA applies to you today and it is worth acting: offshore fintech with clients in the EU, medical tourism treating European patients, agro-exporters with B2B buyers in Europe, hotels and tourism selling to EU travelers, export consultancies and any e-commerce with international sales. If you sell only within Panama, there is currently no local law requiring accessibility in the private sector, but Law 81 on data does apply to you, and accessibility remains good practice that broadens your market and improves your ranking.

How to start

The sensible route is to start with the diagnosis: knowing precisely what your site complies with and what it does not, before deciding how much to remediate. Write to us with your site's URL and the markets you sell to, and we will tell you within 24 hours which plan fits and a realistic estimate. The first conversation is free and commits you to nothing. If you export to the EU, that diagnosis is the difference between knowing where you stand and finding out when a notice arrives.

Frequently asked questions about compliance and accessibility

Is my Panama-based company required to comply with European accessibility (EAA)?
If you sell products or services to customers in the European Union, yes, even if your company is in Panama. The European Accessibility Act has been in force since 28 June 2025 and applies to any company operating toward the EU market, regardless of where it is based. Fines range from €5,000 to €500,000 depending on the country, and enforcement is already active: the first lawsuits were filed in France in late 2025 and audits are underway in other countries. In Panama it directly affects export sectors —offshore fintech with European clients, medical tourism treating EU patients, agro-exporters with B2B buyers in Europe, consultancies and international e-commerce—. If you do not sell to the EU, there is currently no local law in Panama requiring web accessibility in the private sector, although doing it well remains good practice. This is information, not legal advice; your specific case should be confirmed with a lawyer.
Which accessibility standard do I have to meet, exactly?
The current legal benchmark is WCAG 2.1 level AA, the standard referenced by the European norm EN 301 549 in its current version. WCAG 2.2 already exists and is expected to enter the European legal framework during 2026, so aligning with 2.2 now is the prudent move to avoid redoing the work. WCAG AA gathers around 87 criteria organized into four principles: that content be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. In practice it means concrete things: sufficient color contrast, full keyboard navigation, alternative text on images, correctly labeled forms, clear semantic structure. We audit your site against these criteria and hand you exactly what passes and what does not.
Is Panama's Law 81 on data protection also part of this?
Yes, and it applies to almost any Panamanian site, whether or not it sells to the EU. Law 81 has been in force since 2021 and is enforced by ANTAI with fines of B/.1,000 to B/.10,000 depending on severity, plus measures such as closing the database registry. If your site has a contact form, a newsletter, a customer signup or a checkout, you are collecting personal data and the law applies to you. The compliance review includes verifying that you have a clear privacy policy, real consent, a mechanism for ARCOP rights, and security conditions. We cover it alongside accessibility because both are part of the same question: does your site meet what the law requires today?
What is the process and what do you deliver?
It starts with an audit: we review your site against WCAG AA with professional tools (WAVE, axe DevTools, Lighthouse, Pa11y) plus manual review, because automated tools detect only part of the real problems. We deliver a prioritized report listing each finding with its WCAG criterion, its severity and the remediation effort, plus the status of your Law 81 compliance. From there you can implement with your team (the report is written to be actionable without us) or contract the remediation with us. If your site is built on a solid technical base, much of WCAG AA is already met out of the box and remediation is light; if it carries structural problems, we say so frankly along with the realistic options.
Can you guarantee I will be "100% compliant" and fine-free?
No, and be wary of anyone who promises it. WCAG conformance is not a permanent seal: it depends on every change you make to the site afterward, and the legal interpretation of each case is for a lawyer, not for us. What we do methodically is bring your site to meet the verifiable WCAG AA criteria, document the state with evidence, and leave you an accessibility statement and a maintenance plan to sustain it. That reduces your exposure in a real and measurable way, which is the honest thing one can offer. Guaranteeing "zero fines" would be selling something no provider controls, because it depends on legal and usage factors beyond our reach.
How long does it take and when should I start?
The audit is delivered within 5 to 12 business days depending on the size of the site. Remediation depends on how many findings there are and on the technical base: a well-built site can become compliant in one or two weeks, one with structural problems may need more. On when to start: the EAA is already in force and actively enforced, so if you sell to the EU the time is now, not when a notice arrives. Enforcement also works in cascade between countries, so a finding in one market can open reviews in others. Acting ahead costs far less than responding to a sanction already underway.
Why hire this in Panama and not a European agency?
Because we understand both sides: the European standard you must meet and the reality of the Panamanian business that exports. We work in your time zone, with knowledge of the local sectors that sell to the EU and of how the EAA intersects with Panama's Law 81. A European agency charges in euros, bills from another framework and rarely knows the Panamanian context. Besides, accessibility is not an isolated task: it is done better when whoever implements it also understands your performance, your schema and your ranking, which is exactly what we already work on across the other services.
Since when does the EAA apply and how large are the fines?
The European Accessibility Act (EU Directive 2019/882) became enforceable on June 28, 2025 across all 27 member states, and it also reaches businesses outside the EU that sell products or provide services to European consumers, such as e-commerce or digital banking. A Panamanian company selling online to customers in Europe may be obligated even without an office there. Legacy products and services placed on the market before June 2025 have a grace period through June 2030, but anything new launched after that must comply from day one. The fines vary by country: from around 40,000 euros or 5% of turnover in Italy, 50,000 in France and 100,000 in Germany, up to a maximum of one million euros in Spain. For now regulators are in a "guidance first, fines later" posture, but enforcement is accelerating and there are already lawsuits from advocacy groups against major retailers. Documenting your efforts and having a roadmap is what separates those who get time to remediate from those who get a penalty.
Does adding an accessibility widget or "overlay" make me compliant?
No, and it is worth knowing before spending on one. The automated widgets or "overlays" that promise instant accessibility do not guarantee compliance; the US Department of Justice itself has clarified this. Real accessibility requires fixing the underlying code —the semantic structure, the contrast, keyboard navigation, labels for screen readers— not layering on a patch that gives a false sense of security and often does not even work well with the actual assistive technologies. The good news is that almost every law converges on the same technical standard, WCAG 2.1 Level AA, organized into four POUR principles (perceivable, operable, understandable, robust). Reaching it once positions you against the European EAA, the US ADA, the Canadian AODA and others at once. That is why we build accessible from the foundation, which is the only thing that truly complies and, in passing, improves your SEO and user experience.