11/02/2019 (Agence Europe) – Nearly one million EU citizens may be unable to exercise their right to vote in the European elections next May because of their disability, and many more may face obstacles when voting, according to a statement issued by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on Monday 11 February following a conference. Despite the existing international legal framework for the protection of the rights of people with disabilities, the EESC hearing revealed that multiple legal and technical obstacles persist in all EU Member States. Examples include polling stations that are not well adapted to the needs of people with disabilities, election information and campaigns that are inaccessible to the deaf or blind, or the automatic loss of the right to vote when appointing a guardian. Therefore, voting or running in the European elections this spring may prove impossible, or at least very difficult, for many Europeans with disabilities. (DG - intern)