France is not simply “WCAG in French.” It has its own framework, terminology and documentation obligations. Two distinct regimes matter, and they should not be merged.
RGAA and Article 47
The RGAA (Référentiel général d’amélioration de l’accessibilité) is the French framework that implements accessibility requirements. The current version is RGAA 4.1.2 (aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA); RGAA 5 is planned for end of 2026 (WCAG 2.2, native mobile apps, office documents, ARCOM as control authority).
The legal basis is Article 47 of Law 2005-102, with application decree 2019-768. It covers public bodies, private entities delegated a public-service mission, and companies whose average annual turnover generated in France exceeds €250M (averaged over the three most recently closed financial years — not worldwide revenue).
Covered organizations must publish a homepage conformity mention (“totalement / partiellement / non conforme”), an accessibility declaration, a multi-year scheme (max 3 years) and annual action plans. Oversight is handled by ARCOM (notice + 3-month correction period).
The European Accessibility Act
Separately, the European Accessibility Act has applied in France since 28 June 2025 to certain products and services (e-commerce, banking, electronic communications, transport-related services, e-books and certain devices). Oversight for services is handled by the DGCCRF. A micro-enterprise exemption exists for services provided by businesses with fewer than 10 staff and under €2M turnover; disproportionate-burden exemptions must be declared and documented.
Two frameworks, not one
Article 47 / RGAA (ARCOM) and the EAA (DGCCRF) are distinct. An organization may fall under one, both, or neither. Technical convergence (targeting WCAG 2.2 AA) helps in both cases but does not create legal equivalence.
For the detailed French-language hub — Article 47, the €250M threshold, declarations, the multi-year scheme, RGAA 5 and the EAA in France — see our French resources. This is technical accessibility information, not legal advice; verify applicability against official sources.