We call for the full inclusion of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers with disabilities in our response to a consultation by the European Commission on its five-year European Migration and Asylum Strategy, expected by the end of 2025.
This strategy will build on national plans submitted by EU Member States earlier this year and aims to shape the EU’s long-term approach to migration management.
Despite existing commitments, evidence from the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and the European Union Agency for Asylum shows that people with disabilities continue to face discrimination and exclusion in asylum and migration systems.
We urge the European Commission to ensure that the new strategy is firmly grounded in fundamental rights, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and the Istanbul Convention on combating violence against wimen. The strategy must adopt an intersectional approach and align with the EU’s equality strategies on gender, anti-racism, disability and LGBTIQ equality.
On actions inside the EU, we call for:
- Accessible and rights-based border management, including disability-sensitive screening and support.
- Reception conditions that guarantee accessibility, healthcare, mental health support, and disability-specific assistance.
- Fair and dignified return procedures, with individualised assessments and safeguards against discrimination.
- Inclusive integration policies, ensuring equal access to education, healthcare, social protection and employment.
- Strong measures to prevent exploitation and trafficking, particularly of women and children with disabilities.
On the external dimension, we stress that legal migration pathways must be accessible to persons with disabilities. Currently, some EU countries require medical certificates or health assessments that can effectively exclude people with disabilities from obtaining visas or work permits. The EU must ensure that its external actions promote disability-inclusive migration and eliminate such discriminatory practices.
We also call for binding EU guidance to implement the CRPD in all migration procedures, supported by targeted EU funding for accessibility measures, disability support services, and capacity-building at the local level. Authorities and EU agencies should receive systematic training on disability rights, and organisations of persons with disabilities and migrant organisations must be meaningfully involved in designing and monitoring migration and asylum policies.
Finally, the new strategy should foster cross-border innovation through projects that develop inclusive digital tools, assistive technologies, and tailored education or employment pathways for migrants with disabilities.