Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) call on EU Member States to take action to facilitate access to employment for people with disabilities, in a report adopted by a very large majority (47 votes to 1 with 4 abstentions) on Wednesday 27 January.
Referring to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, MEPs insist on the right of persons with disabilities to participate “fully” in the labour market. To this end, they emphasise the need to provide a suitable workplace and equipment and call on the Member States to do so.
For the MEPs, Member States must take measures to make transport and the “built” environment more accessible, in connection with the ‘Accessibility Act’ (see EUROPE 12199/19). Furthermore, they stress the importance of introducing compulsory quotas in the workplace, starting with the European institutions.
MEPs call on the European Commission to harmonise the definition of disability in order to facilitate mutual recognition of disability status in all Member States.
On Thursday 28 January, the EMPL Committee and the Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) exchanged views on the situation of people with disabilities in specialised institutions during the pandemic (see EUROPE 12646/25).
The European Commission is currently preparing a strategy on the rights of people with disabilities which is expected to be presented in the first quarter of 2021. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)