On Thursday 19 December, the European Commission confirmed that the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 will be updated. Addressing the plenary session of MEPs, the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, made the implementation of European rules, economic and social inclusiveness and autonomy the three pillars of European action for the coming years.
The aim is to put into practice the legislative advances of the last mandate, such as the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card, which should be effective by 2028, and to implement the standards set by the 2019 European Accessibility Act.
In addition, the European strategy will be guided by the package of measures in favour of the employment of people with disabilities to support Member States in tackling the lack of employability and in achieving the objectives set out in the 2021 Porto Agenda (see EUROPE 12716/3).
Furthermore, the guidelines for independent living adopted in November (see EUROPE 13528/21) should be “integrated into all funding streams”.
Although MEPs gave their support to the renewal of the strategy, it was above all to denounce the shortcomings of European policies in this area. Social and economic issues were at the forefront of their concerns.
“Not a single Member State has implemented the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as it should have”, denounced Katrin Langensiepen (Greens/EFA, German). Criticising a collective failure, the MEP, herself a disabled person, called for “things to be done better”. The invisibility, precariousness and violence to which people with disabilities, and women in particular, are subjected were all highlighted.
Ms Langensiepen also questioned the use of European funding, urging that these issues be given greater consideration in the discussions on the Multiannual Financial Framework.
Similarly, Estelle Ceulemans (S&D, Belgian) highlighted the particular vulnerability of disabled women on the labour market, deploring, in a “loud cry", a strategy - including the package on access to employment - “that is struggling to make an impact”. To strengthen it, the MEP advocated “clear and quantified commitments in relation to recruitment”.
Identifying discriminating factors, Ms Ceulemans mentioned stigmatising positions, a certain reticence on the part of employers, and a lack of accessibility within the infrastructure. This last constraint has been widely echoed by MEPs, who have sounded the alarm about the virtual absence of any consideration for reduced mobility in public spaces and transport.
Behind these challenges, the central issue remains the empowerment of people with disabilities, the spearhead of the associations, which was addressed by several speakers. The replacement of specialised institutions with accessible and affordable housing was therefore advocated. Finally, better collaboration with organisations (see EUROPE 13176/23) was called for in order to tackle these shortcomings, as the European Disability Forum emphasised in a press release. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)