We renew our urgent call to amend the proposed EU Regulation on protection of adults in cross-border situations, ahead of the next, and possibly last, EU Interistituional negotiation meeting (trilogue) scheduled for 12 May.
We call on the negotiators to:
- Ensure the protection of people’s rights by recognising and focusing on supported decision-making regimes and mechanisms;
- Guarantee that cross-border placements measures are only possible when they are based on the choice, autonomy and support of the persons and that they do not apply to placement of persons with disabilities in institutions;
- Ensuring the privacy of citizens covered by the Regulation to ensure that data related to support in decision-making or power of representation are also shared after consent of the person.
We, together with a coalition of disability organisations, communicated joint proposals that would ensure the proposed Regulation abides by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union to the negotiators.
This comes at a time of renewed commitment to support decision-making. The commitment is demonstrated by the Cypriot’s Presidency of the EU High-level conference on ’Empowerment and Supports of persons with disabilities in a community for all’, and by the European Commission’s announcement of a study on supported decision-making in the next phase of its Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The EU’s goodwill must be translated into the text of this law.