To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Tuesday 3 December, the European Disability Forum and over a hundred partner organisations sent an open letter to the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib.
The letter urges that momentum be maintained in favour of the rights of persons with disabilities in the European Union.
And with good reason: of the 100 million persons with disabilities in Europe, almost 28.4% live below the poverty line, while only 50.6% of men and 45.9% of women are in work, which is often insecure. 1.4 million people remain confined to segregated institutions.
The signatories call for the adoption of new flagship initiatives as part of the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030. Proposals include the creation of a European Agency for Accessibility and a Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee.
The organisations are also calling for greater financial resources and more inclusion in decision-making, in the face of urgent and concerted action to build a truly egalitarian Union.
To read the open letter: https://aeur.eu/f/emc (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)