Lightning Talks: Our Take on the European Accessibility Act and AI Co-pilots

Part 1: “Are you up to speed with the EAA?” – Jeroen and Niels’ Deep Dive into Digital Accessibility 

You've undoubtedly heard of it: the European Accessibility Act, or EAA for short. It might sound like just another Brussels directive, but its impact should not be underestimated. 

What is the EAA, and why the urgency? 

Let's be honest, digital accessibility isn't new. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have been around for years. What the EAA does is anchor these guidelines in binding European law. The goal is simple: to remove digital barriers for people with disabilities and ensure equal opportunities. 

The first major deadline of June 28, 2025, has now passed. Since that date, all new or substantially renovated digital products and services you offer in the EU must comply with the accessibility requirements. 

But it doesn't stop there. More important dates are coming up: 

• June 28, 2027: Emergency services (like 112) must offer additional services such as real-time text. 
• June 28, 2030: The grace period is over. From this date, all existing digital products and services must be fully compliant, and the exemption for micro-enterprises will expire. 

Who does this apply to? 

Virtually every company that sells products or services to consumers in the EU, except for micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover of max. €2 million). This includes: 

• E-commerce websites 
• Banking services 
• Transportation apps 
• Audiovisual media services 
• And many more… 

The Four Pillars of Accessibility (WCAG) 

The EAA relies heavily on the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, which are built around four principles. An accessible website or app must be: 

1. Perceivable: Can everyone see, hear, or feel your information? Think alternative text for images and sufficient colour contrast. 
2. Operable: Can everyone navigate, even without a mouse? A website that is fully keyboard-navigable is fundamental. 
3. Understandable: Are the content and operation logical and predictable? Use clear language and concise error messages. 
4. Robust: Does your platform work well with various browsers and assistive technologies like screen readers? This is about clean, semantic HTML. 

Jeroen and Niels showed us some practical tools we use daily, like the HeadingsMap extension for page structure and the WebAIM Contrast Checker. But their key message was: automation (like a Lighthouse score) is a good start, but it never replaces manual checks. 

Accessibility isn't a task for a single developer; it's a team effort. From the project manager to the designer and the content manager, everyone plays their part. 

Feeling the pressure for your own platform? No need to panic. This is precisely why we created our UX/UI Accessibility Analysis Spark. We're here to help you get fully compliant. 

Part 2: “Which AI will be your co-pilot?” – Robbe’s Test Drive of 4 Code Editors 

From a legal must-have, we switch to a technological game-changer. AI coding tools promise to help us program faster, but for many developers, trying a new tool is a hurdle. 

Robbe put four popular AI code assistants to the test with one key question: which tool genuinely helps developers move forward without disrupting their workflow? He specifically focused on integration with PHPStorm, the preferred environment for many of our back-end developers. 

Here's his verdict, based on a thorough test drive. 

A Look at the 4 Candidates: 

1. Cursor: The Smart Market Leader 
   Cursor is currently the muscle of the group. The tool uses a smart agent that doesn't give up (thanks to 'error looping'), fetches the right context at lightning speed, and chooses the best AI model for the job. A unique feature is 'documentation indexing,' allowing it to read and use your own documentation. The inline code completion with 'Tab' also works excellently. The big 'but'? There's no native PHPStorm integration. You have to use their own editor, although a workaround is possible with the 'Switch2cursor' plugin. 
2. Windsurf: The Promising Challenger with a Plan 
   Windsurf takes a different approach. Document analysis is done via web scraping, not locally, and the inline code completion is less impressive. However, it has two huge advantages: a solid plugin for PHPStorm and a unique "Plan mode." This allows the agent to think through complex tasks before it starts writing, which is a major benefit in a large context. A bonus: the token cost is transparent, and there's a plugin store to easily install MCP servers. 
3. Junie: The Slow but High-Quality Perfectionist 
   Junie is already fully built into PHPStorm (native support), which is a dream for many. According to Robbe, the generated code is of better quality than that of Cursor and Windsurf, and it uses a 'plan mode' by default. The downside? It's slow and has few extra features. A tool with a lot of potential for the future, but perhaps a bit too timid for today. 
4. GitHub Copilot: The Basic All-Rounder 
   Copilot is the most well-known and feels like a safe, lightweight standard. It's less effective at fetching the full context of your project. The plugin for PHPStorm has a low rating (2.4/5), but in practice, it seems to work surprisingly well and is stable. 

Conclusion: The Holy Grail Doesn't Exist (Yet) 

Robbe's conclusion was clear: there's no absolute winner. The best AI co-pilot is the one that best fits your workflow and needs. Are you an adventurer going for pure power? Try Cursor. Are you looking for a reliable partner in your trusted environment? Then Windsurf or even the underrated Copilot plugin might be more your speed.