We call on the EU not to remove support for marginalised or at-risk groups when deciding on the rules for EU funding post-2028.
We are concerned that the EU will significantly reduce the budget for Cohesion, Resilience and Values during its negotiations about the renewed Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The negotiations will determine EU spending for a seven-year period, from 2028 until the end of 2034.
The reduction could mean the weakening of funds that directly improve the lives of EU citizens, such as the European Social Fund Plus, the Regional Development Fund and Erasmus+. Funds that have often substituted national government spending when improving the social inclusion of persons with disabilities in education, employment and independent living.
Doubt has also been cast over the future of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme, which provides crucial support to networks working towards equality and against discrimination, including organisations that directly support citizens.
If these cuts happen, they will exacerbate the already high barriers and inequalities experienced by persons with disabilities in the EU:
- Almost 30% of persons with disabilities in the EU live in poverty.
- Persons with disabilities are also 21 percentage points less likely to be employed than people without disabilities.
- Persons with disabilities are more likely to drop out of education early
- They are more likely to be overburdened by housing costs.
The challenges are even higher for women with disabilities, including who are disproportionately exposed to violence and abuse.
The cuts being discussed would reduce or elimate programmes directly tackling these issues. It is therefore extremely hard to justify the cuts in the current context.
The EU also needs to set clearer conditions on how Member States can use funding. Misuse of funds going into segregating institutions for persons with disabilities, or inaccessible structures, have been a persistent problem.
The European Disability Forum therefore urges the EU and its Member States to agree on an ambitious Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2028-2034 that upholds the rights of the EU’s more than 100 million persons with disabilities, by:
- Protecting the budget going towards Cohesion, Resilience and Values funding.
- Safeguarding ongoing support for civil society working on equality and human rights as part of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme.
- Setting up more targeted initiatives to make an impact in areas where progress has been limited. Namely, establishing a Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee, based on the successful model of the Youth Guarantee, to support more persons with disabilities into meaningful employment or training.
- Ensuring that the use of funds within the Cohesion, Resilience and Values package is governed by a set of clear enabling conditions that give clarity on what kind of actions are eligible for funding and fall in line with the EU’s human rights commitments, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Including non-binding EU guidance on how to use EU funds into the EU funding regulations. For example, clearly referencing the need to follow the EU Guidance on Independent Living and Inclusion in the Community for Persons with Disabilities, in the enabling conditions governing the use of the European Social Fund Plus and the European Regional Development Fund.