Accessibility changes to match EU accessibility requirements (EN 301 549) that become mandatory in June 2025

[rodica-andronache]

What problem does this address?

This user mentioned that in June 2025 , EU accessibility requirements (EN 301 549) become mandatory, and we would need some changes in Neve to accommodate that:

• Ensure aria-expanded attributes are updated on keyboard focus and interaction
• Allow submenus to be opened via arrow keys or TAB navigation -> Right now, the submenus can be accessed by using TAB and ENTER on the small arrow icons.
  However, this behaviour might not be enough from an accessibility perspective.

According to WCAG 2.1 AA and EN 301 549 requirements, dropdown menus should:

• Open automatically when their parent item receives keyboard focus;
• Be fully navigable using TAB alone (without ENTER on decorative icons);
• Use proper aria-haspopup, aria-expanded, and semantic roles for screen readers.

In the current implementation, the arrow is not clearly announced as an interactive control, and some users (especially with screen readers or assistive devices) may not realise they have to "activate" it.

What is your proposed solution?

accommodate the mentioned changes

Will this feature require documentation? (Optional)

None