We call on all candidates to the European Parliament elections to commit to advancing the rights of over 100 million persons with disabilities by signing our newly launched “Pledge for candidates in the European elections 2024: Building an inclusive future for persons with disabilities”.
The pledge draws on the demands of the EDF Manifesto on the European Elections 2024, “Building an inclusive future for persons with disabilities in the EU“. This manifesto was adopted by over 700 participants during the European Parliament of Persons with Disabilities in May 2023.
The pledge’s two main demands focus on:
- Ensuring future Members of the European Parliament re-establish and join the European Parliament’s Disability Intergroup, an informal body of the European Parliament bringing together Members of the European Parliament from all nationalities and most political groups to advance disability rights.
- Asking the next European Parliament to support our call to the European Commission to revise the European Union’s Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities so new flagship initiatives can be incorporated.
The Manifesto also suggests concrete initiatives such as:
- A new Directorate-General for Equality and Fundamental Rights in the European Commission; a Disability Committee in the European Parliament; an Equality Configuration in the Council.
- A new European agency for accessibility.
- A Disability Employment and Skills Guaranteeto boost the participation of persons with disabilities in the open labour market.
- Further protection for women and girls with disabilities, including the prohibition of forced sterilisation.
- Introduce legislation to guarantee the availability and affordability of assistive technologies for persons with disabilities.
Yannis Vardakastanis, President of the European Disability Forum, said:
While the European Parliament has been a great ally to the movement, we are still far from an inclusive EU. We need candidates to the elections to commit to uphold our rights, the rights of over 100 million people.
MEP Langensiepen, the first public signatory of the pledge said:
After the next European elections we must make sure that the voices of persons with disabilities are strongly represented in the new Parliament. The pledge I signed, should be signed by every single MEP in the Parliament. In this legislation we started strong initiatives such as the European Disability Card and the Accessibility EU center, we need to build on. Especially in these times where minorities are often undermined. We need to continue our work as a disability intergroup but we also need a more diverse parliament, more persons with disabilities representing our rights loud and proud.
Related documents
- Pledge for candidates in the EU elections 2024: Building an inclusive future for persons with disabilities
- EDF Manifesto on the European Elections 2024: “Building an inclusive future for persons with disabilities in the EU”