European Commission presents enhanced Disability Rights Strategy

The European Commission has presented an enhanced Disability Rights Strategy for the second half of the EU’s 2021–2030 strategy period. It outlines actions that could help advance the rights of persons with disabilities.

Among the promising initiatives is research into barriers to labor market access and potential actions to integrate people with disabilities into the workforce.

The strategy identifies eight key initiatives; however, analysis reveals that some of the most promising measures lie outside this scope. Such measures include:

• research into barriers to accessing assistive technologies to assess the need for EU legislative initiative;
• establishing an alliance to support the creation of national and local centers for independent living, with EU financial backing;
• potential actions to enhance the participation of persons with disabilities in the labor market, which may lead to a legislative proposal;
• a 2027 initiative to improve accessibility in higher education for various student categories, including students with disabilities;
• developing guidelines on procedural accommodations for all victims with disabilities under the revised Victims’ Rights Directive;
• publishing a study on decision-making regimes and member state legislation regarding legal capacity, presenting supported decision-making approaches;
• using the Disability Platform to assist states in preparing and implementing national and regional plans for using EU funds from 2028 onwards.

Legislative improvements will be achieved not only through new laws but also by reviewing and refining existing regulations. The strategy plans eight such actions, including:

• revising the Public Procurement Directive to mandate the purchase of accessible goods and services;
• expanding the scope of the Working Environment Quality Act to account for occupational health risks for workers with disabilities;
• reviewing accessibility provisions within the assessment of the Passenger Ship Safety Rules and Standards Directive.

A crucial aspect of the strategy is improving data collection, which will provide a better understanding of the real situation of persons with disabilities. Plans include enhancing data collection on people living in institutions and the deinstitutionalization process, as well as on additional costs associated with disability.

Furthermore, data collection broken down by type of disability will be expanded, allowing for an analysis of how various social factors impact different groups of people with disabilities.

Timelines for the implementation of the planned measures are currently being defined. Once established, the goal will be to ensure the most effective execution of the strategy.

For more details on recommendations for implementing each action, refer to the detailed analysis of the enhanced strategy. The article was published on the website of the European Disability Forum.