European Health Union Package



European Health Union Package

The European Union and all its Member States have ratified the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This international treaty creates specific obligations relevant for the EU and all Member States in the creation of the European Health Union Package.

Under article 25 of the CRPD: States Parties recognise that persons with disabilities have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health without discrimination on the basis of disability. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure access for persons with disabilities to health services that are gender-sensitive, including health-related rehabilitation.

In addition, according to article 11 of the CRPD States parties must take “all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters.”

Persons with disabilities were one of the most affected groups of the COVID- 19 pandemic in the European Union, in term of contamination, deaths and human rights violations. The EC proposals which are part of the European Health Union Package must ensure that the EU and Member States are better equipped to activate a disability inclusive response to future health threats and pandemics.

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EDF recommendations on the European Health Union Package