The European Parliament has adopted its position on the second half of the EU Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the 25 November. The report has been approved with 409 votes in favour and 9 votes against, with 109 abstentions.
The report, led by Member of the European Parliament Rosa Estaras Ferragut, clearly calls on the European Commission to urgently develop new actions and flagship initiatives. Among other things, it urges the Commission to pay particular attention to the extra cost of living of persons with disabilities, the situation of women and girls with disabilities, mental health and mental distress among persons with disabilities, and to people with invisible disabilities.
The European Commission has announced it will propose new actions for this Strategy in 2026 – in line with our longstanding calls.
Some of the Parliament’s key demands
- An EU-funded Employment and Skills guarantee for persons with disabilities, drawing inspiration from successful initiatives such as the Youth Guarantee.
- Continued efforts to improve the freedom of movement of persons with disabilities throughout the European Union
- Strengthening the European accessibility centre AccessibleEU, through the creation of a dedicated permanent regulatory agency
- An EU directive regulating the use of artificial intelligence algorithms for managing, monitoring and recruiting workers. It would address the risks of discrimination that candidates and employees with disabilities often face from AI algorithms.
- An ambitious agreement on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 on air passenger rights.
- Revising Regulation (EU) No 1300/2014 on the accessibility of rail infrastructure for persons with disabilities in order to address and prevent the persistent challenges and discrimination faced by persons with disabilities
- Necessary legislative initiatives to ensure the equal right to vote and to stand for election of persons with disabilities
- An EU strategy on the transition from institutions to community-based care
- Making all plenary debates in Parliament available with International Sign interpretation.
We welcome the Parliament’s proposed actions, as they are aligned with our demands (PDF).
Have your say on the future of the disability strategy
The European Commission has launched an open consultation on the future of the EU Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Your ideas can help shape what the Commission will do on disability rights in the coming 5 years. Answer until 5 February.