Following the Spanish Presidency, Belgium took over the torch on 1 January and now chairs all the meetings of the different Council configurations during the first semester of 2024.
The overarching priorities are defending the rule of law, democracy, and unity of the EU. But what is in the Programme for persons with disabilities?
Programme of the Presidency
The expectations are certainly high following the Spanish Presidency, which scored some important achievements for the disability movement. Notably, the possible adoption of the proposal for a European Disability Card and a European Parking Card would be an important success for the Belgian Presidency.
The Presidency will also try to find agreement and deliver on several legislative files before the European elections:
- The adoption of a Directive on combating violence against women: EDF calls for a strong directive which would criminalise rape and forced sterilisation and include aggravating circumstances for crimes committed against women and girls with disabilities.
- The final agreements on the Artificial Intelligence Act, directives on standards for equality bodies, the revision of the anti-trafficking directive, the general approach on the creation of an EU talent pool and the revision of the victims’ rights. We call for mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities in all these initiatives, with a focus on equal access and equal rights.
- Unblocking the Equal Treatment Directive: We continue to call for a horizontal equal treatment directive. This directive should establish that the denial of accessibility and reasonable accommodation are forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities.
- Conclusion of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, which aims to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour and to anchor human rights and environmental considerations in companies’ operations and corporate governance.
Other relevant initiatives on which the Presidency promises to deliver are:
- Consolidating the European Pillar of Social Rights.
- Push for the attainment of the Porto targets for employment, skills, and poverty reduction by 2030.
- promoting digital inclusion, and securing fair and voluntary mobility
- Council Recommendation on access to social protection
- An inter-institutional declaration on the future social agenda of the European Union (“La Hulpe Declaration”)
- identifying new legislative and non-legislative initiatives needed for a just, green and digital transition.
- Council Conclusion on women’s economic empowerment and financial independence.
A shorter Presidency
The Belgian Presidency will have a much shorter window than other Presidencies to conclude negotiations and implement initiatives – even though the official length of the Presidency remains the same. This is due to the European Elections (and in some countries also national elections) scheduled for the beginning of June. Therefore, any work done in the Council has to be wrapped up more than a month earlier than usual.
Nevertheless, the Belgian Presidency has committed to advance disability rights in this short time and has, for example, already scheduled a Presidency event dedicated to disability issues on 18 and 19 March, in which EDF is actively included. There will also be a High-Level conference on the Pillar of Social Rights on 15 and 16 April.
An informal meeting of the Employment and Social Affairs Ministers (EPSCO) also already took place from 10 to 12 January, and the topics on the agenda included the Council’s social agenda for the period after the European elections, as well as the international role of the EU in the field of employment and social policy – including in relation to the possible enlargement of the EU.
We will follow the work of the Presidency closely and is hoping especially for a successful conclusion of the negotiations on the Disability Card.