France has one of the most mature digital accessibility frameworks in Europe, centered around its own national standard: the Référentiel Général d’Amélioration de l’Accessibilité (RGAA), which translates to the General Framework for Improving Accessibility. The RGAA works in concert with broader French and EU laws to create a robust compliance environment for both public and private sector entities.
The Foundation: Loi n° 2005-102 - (The Montchamp Law)
The cornerstone of French disability rights is the 2005 law known as the Montchamp Law. This law established the principle of equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities, and it explicitly mandated web accessibility. Initially, its focus was on public sector bodies, but its scope has since been clarified to include large private companies.
The Technical Standard: RGAA
The RGAA is the official technical standard that defines how to comply with French accessibility law. It is not a separate set of rules but rather a detailed, structured method for implementing and testing the principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Key characteristics of the RGAA include:
- Based on WCAG: The RGAA is built directly on the WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA success criteria, making WCAG the core technical requirement.
- Unit Tests: A defining feature of the RGAA is its inclusion of specific unit tests for each criterion. This provides a clear, objective methodology for auditing a site and determining its compliance level.
- Regularly Updated: The RGAA is periodically updated by the French government's inter-ministerial digital directorate (Direction interministérielle du numérique, DINUM) to align with the latest versions of WCAG and EN 301 549.
Who Must Comply with the RGAA?
The legal mandate to comply with the RGAA applies to :
- All Public Sector Organizations: This includes state administrations, local authorities, and any public institutions.
- Large Private Companies: The law extends to private companies with an average annual revenue of €250 million or more over the last three years.
- The EAA Expansion: With the transposition of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) into French law (via acts like Décret n° 2023-931), the accessibility obligation now also covers private companies of all sizes operating in the EAA's key sectors (e-commerce, banking, etc.).
Compliance Obligations and Penalties
Beyond technical conformance, the law requires organizations to :
- Publish a detailed accessibility declaration (déclaration d'accessibilité) on their website.
- Provide a clear and accessible feedback mechanism for users to report issues.
- Create and publish a multi-year accessibility plan (schéma pluriannuel).
Failure to comply carries significant financial penalties. Under the Montchamp Law, fines can reach €50,000 for non-compliance, with an additional €25,000 for failing to publish the required accessibility plans. For EAA-related violations, fines can be up to €7,500 for organizations. These fines can be reapplied until the organization achieves compliance.
Navigating French Accessibility Standards
For any business with a digital presence in France, understanding the RGAA is essential. It is the definitive standard for compliance. By focusing on achieving WCAG 2.1 AA conformance, organizations can meet the core technical requirements of French law and avoid substantial legal and financial risk.
Wawsome’s platform is designed to streamline this process, offering tools that help audit and remediate your digital assets against the rigorous criteria of the RGAA and WCAG, ensuring you are well-positioned for the French market.