On Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 and 12 March, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities examined the report that the European Union submitted in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (https://aeur.eu/f/fxf ), which it signed in 2007.
At the end of the review, the experts expressed concern about the EU’s role in implementing the convention, despite certain advances such as the European disability card and the European parking card (see EUROPE 13503/27), which were introduced in 2024 and “were considered to be very positive” [measures].
According to the meeting summary, certain Member States thus still have reservations on major points, such as the legal capacity of individuals with disabilities and inclusive education. Moreover, European funds are still being allocated to the maintenance or creation of secure institutions, which goes against the convention. It was therefore recommended that the allocation of these funds be conditional on compliance with the convention.
The committee also noted a lack of specific provisions on the employment of women with disabilities in the European [Disability Rights] Strategy for 2021–2030 and shortcomings in the law on accessibility, which does not cover certain essential public spaces.
It also expressed its concern as to the persistence of forced sterilisation of disabled women in certain European countries and the lack of EU legal instruments to remedy this.
The European delegation based its response on the EU’s strategy for 2021–2030, the accessibility initiatives, and the directive on independent living. It reminded the committee that the convention must be respected within the interpretation of European law, even if it has no direct effect in Community law.
In a report published on 5 March (see EUROPE 13593/22), the European Disability Forum denounced a lack of leadership and a lack of coherence in the European approach: there are still obstacles to the freedom of movement and the right to vote as well as shortcomings in how laws are evaluated.
Furthermore, the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) and the social and human rights organisation Bridge EU revealed on 7 March that internal European Commission documents reportedly continue to support the construction of residential institutions, which runs counter to the right to independent living (https://aeur.eu/f/fx2 ).
The committee will publish its concluding observations on 21 March.
The meeting summary (in French): https://aeur.eu/f/fx1 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)