This position paper was prepared to contribute to the revision of the two Council Directives: one on mobile EU citizens’ political rights in the European Parliament elections; the other on their rights in the municipal elections. They are an opportunity to address the legal disparities that affect persons with disabilities right to vote, to stand as a candidate, and participate in public life.
According to the European Union (EU) Treaties, European citizens have the right to vote and stand as candidates in municipal and European Parliament elections regardless of whether they are nationals of the EU country in which they reside. These political rights of non-national EU citizens – known as mobile EU citizens – must be ensured under the same conditions as nationals.
Therefore, we proposed amendments to facilitate the following:
- Prevent mobile EU citizens with disabilities from losing political rights when moving to another EU country, Providing to mobile EU citizens with disabilities the same specific arrangements that nationals have, and information about them,
- Strengthen the proposed requirement for accessible information by referring to the European Accessibility Act
- Clarify the “clear and plain language” requirement of the information provided to all mobile EU citizens by specifying the level of complexity
Download the position paper:
- EDF position on Mobile EU Citizens Directives (PDF documents)
- EDF position on Mobile EU Citizens Directives (Word documents)
Contact:
Alejandro Moledo – Deputy Director and Head of Policy – alejandro.moledo@edf-feph.org
Related resources:
- Council Directive 93/109/EC on the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament of Mobile EU Citizens
- Council Directive 94/80/EC on the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections of Mobile EU Citizens
- Proposal for a COUNCIL DIRECTIVE laying down detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament and municipal elections by mobile EU citizens (recast)
- EDF’s 6th Human Rights Report on the Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities
Image credit: © European Union 2019 – Source: EP / Genevieve ENGEL