The living conditions of persons with disabilities should make them one of the main targets of EU policies to combat exclusion and poverty. This is one of the conclusions drawn by the independent report analysing data on the situation of persons with disabilities, carried out by the European Disability Expertise for the Commission and published on Thursday 9 January by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL).
The study, which is in line with the objectives set out in the Disability Rights Strategy 2021-2030, which states that “monitoring the progress in Member States will rely on improved statistical data collection on the situation of persons with disabilities” to guide European governments, stresses that the policy measures proposed must take account of the specific characteristics and needs of the hundred million or so people aged 16 and over who have declared a disability, i.e. 27% of the total population of the European Union.
This number “ought to be interpreted with caution”, the document states, as “it includes all people with both moderate or severe disabilities, young and old”, whose assistance needs may therefore vary.
According to the document, which focuses on five main areas – the changing population of persons with disabilities, equal opportunities, fair working conditions, social inclusion and protection – 28.5 million persons with disabilities are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, representing 36.5% of all persons in the EU aged 16 and over at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2022.
It should also be noted that persons with severe disabilities are at greater risk than people with moderate or no disabilities. Thus, in the European Union in 2022, around 35.9% of people with severe disabilities were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
To read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/f08 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)