Accessibility
· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.FLink & Button QualityAction26 issue(s) across 168 links and 28 buttonsFIX
| Element | Text | Issue | Suggested Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa… | EU Space Days 2026 save the da… | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| /en/news/news/observer-quantum-secure-fu… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-quantum-secure-fu… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-five-copernicus-a… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-five-copernicus-a… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-record-breaking-2… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-record-breaking-2… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-understanding-rol… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-understanding-rol… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-understanding-spa… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-understanding-spa… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-artificial-intell… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /en/news/news/observer-artificial-intell… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /access-data/copernicus-services-catalog… | Learn more | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: Learn more Suggested: Copernicus Services Catalogue?Combine=&Cc Source Service Target Id%5b2778%5d=2778 | |||
| /services/atmosphere | Atmosphere | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| /services/marine | Marine | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| /services/land | Land | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| /services/climate-change | Climate Change | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| /services/security | Security | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| /services/emergency | Emergency | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| https://health.hub.copernicus.eu/ | Health Hub | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://www.coastal.hub.copernicus.eu/ | Coastal Hub | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://energy.hub.copernicus.eu/ | Energy Hub | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://www.arctic.hub.copernicus.eu/ | Arctic Hub | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://whh.euspa.europa.eu/ | Heritage Hub | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://ec.europa.eu | European Commission | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| http://www.esa.int/ | ESA | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| http://www.eumetsat.int/ | EUMETSAT | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| http://www.ecmwf.int/ | ECMWF | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| http://www.eea.europa.eu/ | EEA | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| http://www.mercator-ocean.fr/ | MERCATOR OCEAN | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| http://frontex.europa.eu/ | FRONTEX | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://www.satcen.europa.eu/ | SatCen | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| http://www.emsa.europa.eu/ | EMSA | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/ | Atmosphere | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://marine.copernicus.eu | Marine | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://land.copernicus.eu/ | Land | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://climate.copernicus.eu/ | Climate Change | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://www.copernicus.eu/en/services/se… | Security | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://emergency.copernicus.eu/ | Emergency | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpuwnbu… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| https://copernicus.eu/en/main/rss-subscr… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| https://twitter.com/CopernicusEU | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| https://www.instagram.com/copernicus_eu/ | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| https://www.facebook.com/pages/Copernicu… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| https://www.copernicus.eu/sites/default/… | Privacy Policy | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://www.copernicus.eu/sites/default/… | Cookies | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| <button> | (empty) | empty | Add button text or aria-label |
| <button> | (empty) | empty | Add button text or aria-label |
| <button> | (empty) | empty | Add button text or aria-label |
| <button> | (empty) | empty | Add button text or aria-label |
| <button> | (empty) | empty | Add button text or aria-label |
| <button> | (empty) | empty | Add button text or aria-label |
| <button> | (empty) | empty | Add button text or aria-label |
| <button> | (empty) | empty | Add button text or aria-label |
Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.
/en/news/news/observer-quantum-secure-future-iris2; /en/news/news/observer-quantum-secure-future-iris2; /en/news/news/observer-five-copernicus-apps-transforming-climate-and-atmosphe…; /en/news/news/observer-five-copernicus-apps-transforming-climate-and-atmosphe…; /en/news/news/observer-record-breaking-2025-fire-season-eu-insights-copernicu…; /en/news/news/observer-record-breaking-2025-fire-season-eu-insights-copernicu…; /en/news/news/observer-understanding-role-clms-carbon-removal-monitoring; /en/news/news/observer-understanding-role-clms-carbon-removal-monitoring; /en/news/news/observer-understanding-space-weather-events; /en/news/news/observer-understanding-space-weather-events (+7 more)
Links with no accessible text (empty <a></a>, image-only no alt, icon-only no aria-label) are unidentifiable to screen readers.
Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4
Generic link text like 'click here' doesn't describe the destination.
/access-data/copernicus-services-catalogue?combine=&cc_source_service_target_… ("Learn more")
Generic anchor text ('click here', 'read more', 'learn more') tells screen readers and search engines nothing about the destination.
Learn more ▾ ▴
Out-of-context lists of links read by AT (one navigation pattern) become useless when every link says 'click here'. Use the destination's title or topic as anchor text. Doubles as SEO win — Google passes anchor-text relevance to the destination.
Source: WCAG 2.4.4 / Google Search Central
Image-only links need alt text on the image (or aria-label on the link) so screen readers can announce them.
a[href="/services/atmosphere"]; a[href="/services/marine"]; a[href="/services/land"]; a[href="/services/climate-change"]; a[href="/services/security"]; a[href="/services/emergency"]
Image-only links with no alt are unidentifiable to screen-reader users — link's destination is invisible.
Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4
Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.
https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space/eu-space-days-2026-nicos…; https://health.hub.copernicus.eu/; https://www.coastal.hub.copernicus.eu/; https://energy.hub.copernicus.eu/; https://www.arctic.hub.copernicus.eu/; https://whh.euspa.europa.eu/; https://ec.europa.eu; http://www.esa.int/; http://www.eumetsat.int/; http://www.ecmwf.int/ (+13 more)
Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.
Learn more ▾ ▴
Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.
Source: MDN target / OWASP
Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.
button.py-0 (#192 on page); button.py-0 (#202 on page); button.py-0 (#225 on page); button.py-0 (#249 on page); button (#279 on page); button (#293 on page); button (#334 on page); button (#406 on page)
Buttons with no accessible text (icon-only, no aria-label) can't be activated by voice control or understood by screen readers.
Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 4.1.2
FFavicon & BrandingAction1 icon(s) detectedFIX
DWeb ManifestActionNot foundFIX
No web manifest found.
DDark Mode SupportActionNo dark mode signalsFIX
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.
DPrint StylesheetActionNo print stylesFIX
BHeading Hierarchy19 headingsREVIEW
- H3 Select your language
- H3 Highlights
- H2 OBSERVER: A quantum secure future with IRIS²
- H2 OBSERVER: Five Copernicus apps transforming climate and atmosphere…
- H2 OBSERVER: Record-breaking 2025 fire season in the EU — insights from…
- H2 OBSERVER: Understanding the role of CLMS in carbon removal monitoring
- H2 OBSERVER: Understanding space weather events
- H2 OBSERVER: Artificial Intelligence and Earth Observation workshop looks…
- H3 Copernicus services catalogue
- H2 Image of the day
- H3 Snow-capped Mount Etna and coastal waters in Sicily, Italy
- H3 Copernicus Services
- H3 Copernicus Thematic Hubs
- H3 Use cases
- H3 Social Media Feed
- H4 Newsletter
- H4 Thank you!
- H2 We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience
- H3 Select your language
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
No H1 means screen-reader users can't identify the page's primary topic, and Google's content-extraction degrades.
Learn more ▾ ▴
The H1 is the document title for assistive tech and a strong signal to search engines about page topic. Pages without one force screen readers to fall back to the <title> attribute or page chrome. Add a single H1 that names the page's primary subject.
Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central
BAlt Text Quality2 of 37 images have issuesREVIEW
| Issue | Count |
|---|---|
| missing | 2 image(s) |
Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.
Each image without alt text is a WCAG 1.1.1 failure — invisible to screen-reader users, lost from Google Image Search.
Learn more ▾ ▴
WCAG 2.1 Level A requires text alternatives for non-decorative images. Empty alt='' is fine for decorative; meaningful images need descriptive text. Common fixes: CMS audit + bulk add, build-time linter (alt-text-required ESLint rule), CI gate on Lighthouse a11y score.
Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.1.1 / WebAIM Million Report
BForm Accessibility4 of 8 controls have issuesREVIEW
| Control | Type | Label | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| fields[email] | aria-label | ||
| #cookie-category-necessary | checkbox | Strictly necessary | for/id |
| #cookie-category-performance | checkbox | Performance | for/id |
| #cookie-category-functional | checkbox | Functional | for/id |
| #edit-search-api-fulltext | text | (search) | placeholder only |
| #edit-search-api-fulltext | text | (search) | placeholder only |
| #edit-search-api-fulltext | text | (search) | placeholder only |
| #edit-search-api-fulltext | text | (search) | placeholder only |
Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.
<input type="text" name="search_api_fulltext" id="edit-search-api-fulltext">; <input type="text" name="search_api_fulltext" id="edit-search-api-fulltext">; <input type="text" name="search_api_fulltext" id="edit-search-api-fulltext">; <input type="text" name="search_api_fulltext" id="edit-search-api-fulltext">
Placeholder-only labels disappear when the user starts typing — they must remember what the field was for.
Learn more ▾ ▴
Placeholders are NOT labels. They vanish on input, fail color contrast checks (most are gray), and don't satisfy WCAG SC 3.3.2. Always use a real <label> alongside (or aria-labelledby).
Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2 / Nielsen Norman
B404 Error PageHTTP 404, custom pageREVIEW
CColor Contrast (Screenshot)Action20 text elements analyzed, 4 fail WCAG AAREVIEW
Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.
Show all checked elements (20)
| Element | Ratio | Required | FG | BG | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| h2 OBSERVER: A quantum … | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h2 OBSERVER: Five Coper… | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h2 OBSERVER: Record-bre… | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h2 OBSERVER: Understand… | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h2 OBSERVER: Understand… | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h2 OBSERVER: Artificial… | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h2 Image of the day | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h2 We use cookies on th… | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h3 Select your language | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h3 Highlights | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h3 Copernicus services … | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h3 Copernicus Services | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h3 Copernicus Thematic … | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h3 Use cases | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h3 Social Media Feed | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| h3 Select your language | 4.44:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #677581 | Pass |
| title Homepage | Copernicu… | 2.11:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #364261 | Fail |
| a Skip to main content | 2.11:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #364261 | Fail |
| a About Copernicus | 1.78:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #283759 | Fail |
| a Copernicus Services | 2.26:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #3A4762 | Fail |
Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
BLighthouse Accessibility AuditsScore 81/100 — 5 failing, 25 passedREVIEW
Accessibility
These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.
Contrast
Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
OBSERVER: Five Copernicus apps transforming climate and atmosphere insights div.slick-slide > div > li > a.d-inline-block |
View image information & credits div.ccl-container > div.ccl-banner-top-bar-right > span#btn-popup-banner > span |
These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.
Names and labels
Informative elements should aim for short, descriptive alternate text. Decorative elements can be ignored with an empty alt attribute. Learn more about the `alt` attribute.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
div.ccl-container > div.ccl-banner-top-bar-right > span#btn-popup-banner > img div.ccl-container > div.ccl-banner-top-bar-right > span#btn-popup-banner > img |
footer.ccl-footer > div.ccl-footer-main > div.ccl-footer-logo > img.ccl-footer-logo-img footer.ccl-footer > div.ccl-footer-main > div.ccl-footer-logo > img.ccl-footer-logo-img |
Link text (and alternate text for images, when used as links) that is discernible, unique, and focusable improves the navigation experience for screen reader users. Learn how to make links accessible.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
div.d-block > nav#siteNavigation > div.container > a.navbar-brand div.d-block > nav#siteNavigation > div.container > a.navbar-brand |
div.slick-track > div.ccl-list-item > div.card-highlights > a.ccl-list-item-image div.slick-track > div.ccl-list-item > div.card-highlights > a.ccl-list-item-image |
div.slick-track > div.ccl-list-item > div.card-highlights > a.full-link |
div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a |
div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a |
div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a |
div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a |
div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a div.ccl-container > div.ccl-footer-col > div.ccl-footer-social > a |
These are opportunities to improve the semantics of the controls in your application. This may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.
Tables and lists
Screen readers have a specific way of announcing lists. Ensuring proper list structure aids screen reader output. Learn more about proper list structure.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
OBSERVER: Understanding the role of CLMS in carbon removal monitoring
OBSERVER:… div.ccl-banner-top-bar > div.ccl-container > div.ccl-banner-top-bar-left > ul#breakingNews |
Screen readers require list items (`<li>`) to be contained within a parent `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` to be announced properly. Learn more about proper list structure.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
OBSERVER: Five Copernicus apps transforming climate and atmosphere insights div.slick-track > div.slick-slide > div > li |
These are opportunities to improve the experience of reading tabular or list data using assistive technology, like a screen reader.
ALandmark Structure8 landmarksPASS
Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.
Some <nav> elements lack aria-label — screen-reader users hear 'navigation' multiple times with no way to distinguish them.
Learn more ▾ ▴
When a page has multiple <nav> regions (primary, footer, breadcrumb), each needs aria-label or aria-labelledby. AT users navigate by landmark; identical 'navigation' announcements force them to enter each one to discover purpose.
Source: WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices