Since June 28, 2025, digital accessibility has become a more important consideration for many companies in Romania.
Law No. 232/2022 transposes Directive (EU) 2019/882, known as the European Accessibility Act (EAA), into Romanian legislation. The law establishes accessibility requirements for certain products placed on the market and certain services provided to consumers after June 28, 2025.
However, there is a common misconception here. The fact that a company has a website does not automatically mean that every activity it carries out falls under Law 232/2022.
What matters is which products or services the company provides, who they are provided to, and how they are delivered to the consumer.
For a broader overview of how accessibility legislation applies in Romania, see our Guide to Romania's Digital Accessibility Laws.
What Does Law 232/2022 Regulate?
The law establishes the national framework for accessibility requirements applicable to certain products and services.
Products covered by the law include general-purpose consumer hardware systems and their operating systems, certain interactive consumer terminals, e-readers, and self-service payment terminals. This also includes certain types of terminals such as ATMs, ticketing machines, and check-in machines.
For services, the law covers categories such as:
- electronic communications services
- services providing access to audiovisual media services
- consumer banking services
- e-books and dedicated software
- e-commerce services
- certain digital components of passenger transport services
For passenger transport, the law explicitly covers elements such as websites, mobile applications, electronic tickets, and electronic ticketing services.
At European level, these categories are part of the areas selected by the European Accessibility Act for the application of common accessibility requirements across EU Member States.
The First Thing to Check Is the Service You Provide
Let's take a simple example.
You operate an online store where consumers can purchase products. In this case, e-commerce services are explicitly covered by Law 232/2022.
The process needs to be considered as a complete user journey.
A user searches for a product, visits its page, selects the available options, adds it to their cart, enters the required information, and reaches checkout.
A barrier at any one of these points can prevent the user from completing their purchase.
For a more detailed look at the accessibility issues that can affect an online store, see our guide to e-commerce accessibility and the most common checkout barriers.
The situation is different for a banking service, but the same practical principle applies. Authentication, accessing information, making a payment, or using a digital feature should all be assessed in the context of the service provided to the consumer.
This is why accessibility testing should not be limited to the homepage.
Checklist for Your Company
Before starting an accessibility project, it is worth clarifying a few things.
1. What products and services does your company provide to consumers?
Make an inventory of the relevant products and services. Compare them with the scope of application set out in Article 2 of Law 232/2022.
2. Do you provide an e-commerce service?
If you sell products or services to consumers online, carefully review the definitions and obligations applicable to your specific service.
Your first practical step can be to run your website through the Wawsome Accessibility Checker to identify common accessibility issues that may require further investigation.
3. Do you provide consumer banking services?
Consumer banking services are explicitly included within the scope of the law.
4. Do you operate in passenger transport?
For certain transport services, the law specifies concrete digital elements, including websites, mobile services and applications, electronic tickets, and information about the transport service. The requirements vary depending on the type of transport service, so the specific provisions of the law should be reviewed.
5. Do you provide electronic communications services or access to audiovisual media services?
These categories are also included within the scope of the law.
6. Is your company a microenterprise that provides services?
This is an important exception. The European Directive exempts microenterprises that provide services from the accessibility requirements and obligations applicable to services within its scope. Romanian legislation should be consulted to determine how the exemption applies to the specific operator.
7. Which parts of the digital experience are necessary to complete the service?
The website is only the starting point of the assessment. Also consider forms, authentication, customer accounts, mobile applications, documents, and the information required to use the service.
Accessibility issues can occur at any stage of the user journey, from the first interaction with a website to completing a purchase or accessing an account.
8. What happens after the next update?
A new page, a modified form, or a new component can introduce additional barriers. For this reason, accessibility should also be monitored after the initial issues have been addressed.
This is where continuous accessibility monitoring can help teams detect new issues as their websites change.
What Does Accessibility Mean in Practice?
Law 232/2022 contains specific requirements for the products and services within its scope.
For products, for example, information must be presented in ways that users can perceive, with requirements relating to contrast and text presentation. Alternative presentations are also required for non-text content in the situations specified by the law.
On the web, accessibility testing quickly becomes very practical.
Can a user navigate using only a keyboard?
Do forms have labels that can be correctly interpreted?
Do informative images have appropriate alternative text?
Can a screen reader identify a button and understand its purpose?
Are error messages understandable?
These are the types of issues that should be identified before discussing potential solutions.
For a more detailed checklist of common accessibility issues and WCAG 2.2 requirements, see our Ultimate Web Accessibility Checklist.
A Widget Does Not Automatically Fix Every Accessibility Issue
This distinction is important.
A widget can provide users with customization features and navigation support. Existing issues in page structure, semantics, forms, or component implementation need to be assessed separately.
Wawsome's Accessibility Widget can give visitors additional accessibility and personalization controls, but it should be considered as one part of a broader accessibility strategy rather than a replacement for testing and remediation.
Here on the WAWSOME blog, we have also explained why genuine accessibility requires auditing, content and code fixes, and continuous monitoring.
For a deeper look at this topic, see Digital Accessibility: What It Means, Why It Matters, and How to Implement It.
That's why, before choosing a solution, you need to understand where the problems actually are.
Start With the Current State of Your Website
If you have established that your company's services need to be assessed from an accessibility perspective, the next practical step is an evaluation.
An initial scan can help identify some of the issues and show which areas require further investigation. Automated testing has limitations, so its results should be treated as part of a broader evaluation process.
You can run a free accessibility scan with Wawsome to get an initial view of the accessibility issues detected on your website.
Once you know where the problems are, you can prioritize remediation and put processes in place to prevent new issues from appearing.
For broader legislative context, see our Guide to Romania's Digital Accessibility Laws.
For a legal assessment of whether the law applies to your business, we recommend consulting the current version of the legislation and, where necessary, a legal professional.
View Law No. 232/2022 on the Romanian Legislative Portal
FAQ
How do I find out whether Law 232/2022 applies to my company?
Start by looking at the products and services you provide to consumers and compare them with the scope of application set out in Article 2 of Law 232/2022. The legal form of the company or the mere existence of a website is not enough, on its own, to determine whether the law applies.
If I have an online store, do I need to check its accessibility?
E-commerce services are included within the scope of Law 232/2022. The specific circumstances of the operator and any applicable exemptions should also be assessed.
If you run an online store, you can also use the Wawsome Accessibility Checker as a starting point for identifying common accessibility issues.
If I am a microenterprise, do the same obligations apply?
There is an exemption for microenterprises providing services covered by the EAA. The rules for products are different, and the Directive provides reduced obligations for certain microenterprises dealing with products.
How do I check the accessibility of my website?
You can start with an automated scan to identify technically detectable issues. For a complete assessment, manual testing is also relevant, including keyboard navigation and testing the experience with assistive technologies.
You can start with the Wawsome Accessibility Checker, then use the results to identify areas that require deeper manual investigation.
Is it enough to check accessibility just once?
A website changes over time through new content, features, forms, and technical updates. Regular testing helps identify issues that may appear later.
Continuous monitoring can help teams catch accessibility regressions after website updates. Learn more about Wawsome Accessibility Monitoring.
Don't assume that your website is accessible. Check its current state and find out which issues can be identified.