Within the Disability Strategy published by the European Commission in March 2021, it is included a flagship initiative which commits to provide a guidance recommending to Member States improvements on independent living and inclusion in the community by 2023. The aim of this document is to empower people with disabilities to live in accessible, supported housing in the community or to keep living in their own with personal assistance services. The Guidance represents an important instrument for the promotion of community-based services in addition to the rules governing the use of EU funds like the European Social Fund (ESF+) and the Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Since January 2022, EDF has been taking part to the discussion around this proposal with the European Expert Group (EEG) on the Transition from institutional to community-based care. Indeed, at the beginning of 2022, the EEG had contacted the European Commission to obtain more information on the Guidance proposal and to provide counselling. Nevertheless, while the document was still in a developing and data-documenting phase, it had been temporarily paused due to administrative changes. For this reason, the EEG decided to undertake a proactive approach towards the Guidance proposal and to provide a common position paper which might support the Commission in the drafting of the Guidance.
In particular, the position paper produced by the EEG includes important recommendations to be taken in consideration under the Guidance initiative to break the cycle of continued funding in services that do not foster inclusion or independent living. The document presented by the EEG is composed by six actions which tackle several topics like identifying institutions, preventing further funding in institutional care, adapting services for specific needs of minors, and ending segregation.
Together with other organisations, EDF has been participating to address common problematics of the target groups of the EEG.
At the end of June, the EEG position paper has been sent to the European Commission and it represents a point of discussion in view of the drafting of the Guidance proposal.