A deafening silence for a striking opening. To defend her report on the inclusion of people with disabilities (see EUROPE 13065/22), Anne-Sophie Pelletier (The Left, French) opened the debate of the European Parliament plenary session on Monday 12 December with a speech in French sign language. Due to the lack of interpretation, the MEPs’ headsets remained silent. This was a strategy that worked well: the report was adopted the next day with an overwhelming majority (526 votes for, 10 against and 83 abstentions).
Beyond the opening speech, the objectives of the report were supported by the whole House, despite reservations. The EPP proposed to remove a paragraph on inclusive workplace legislation. “Our European companies are already working hard to better include persons with disabilities (…) we need to show them that we see these efforts without [putting] further red tape on businesses in these tough times”, argued Sara Skyttedal (EPP, Swedish). The amendment was ultimately rejected.
The ECR and ID groups criticised the references to minorities and the LGBT community in the text. However, some conservative MEPs, notably the Italians, eventually voted in favour. Most abstained.
The European Commission welcomes, but with caution
“Next year, the Commission will present guidance on deinstitutionalisation and independent living, followed in 2024 by a framework of excellence for social services for persons with disabilities”, promised European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, welcoming the report. She also recalled the AccessibleEU initiative (see EUROPE 13035/7) and confirmed her commitment to a European disability card. “We have high ambitions, but will need to be mindful of competences, as set out in our Treaties”, she said.
Furthermore, while the European Parliament is calling on the Commission to present “specific measures” in case the equal treatment directive continues to be blocked in the EU Council (see EUROPE 13032/16), Helena Dalli simply stated that she “intends to make progress” on the negotiations.
To read the adopted report: https://aeur.eu/f/4mx (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)