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DRAFT REPORT (2025/2057(INI))

On the EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities post-2024

EMPL-PR-773058

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Rosa Estaràs Ferragut

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Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

This draft report assesses the EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 and calls for an updated strategy for 2025-2030, covering accessibility, employment, independent living, non-discrimination, and external action.

Committee position. The rapporteur calls on the Commission to present an updated strategy for 2025-2030 and sets out specific actions across policy areas.

Key points

  1. Acknowledges that the strategy sets EU objectives in areas like employment, education, non-discrimination, and social protection, and that six of seven flagship initiatives are completed.
  2. Notes persistent barriers in healthcare, higher education, skills, and living standards, and that persons with disabilities face higher poverty risk and lower employment.
  3. Calls for a comprehensive mid-term evaluation of the strategy and an updated strategy for 2025-2030, including disability rights in the post-2027 EU budget.
  4. Calls for strengthening AccessibleEU into a permanent regulatory agency and for accessible labelling of products.
  5. Calls for revising EU legislation on accessibility of transport infrastructure and vehicles.
  6. Asks the Commission to assess electoral participation of citizens with disabilities after the 2024 European elections and take legislative initiatives.
  7. Calls for an EU-funded employment and skills guarantee for persons with disabilities without age restrictions, and for inclusive education and training.
  8. Insists on recognizing all employment models of persons with disabilities and maintaining ESF+ as main instrument for social cohesion, with no special earmarking.
  9. Calls for support for accessible housing and a fund within EU cohesion policy for disability-inclusive social housing.
  10. Calls on the Commission to address barriers to healthcare and discrimination faced by women with disabilities.
  11. Insists the EU support candidate countries in aligning with accessibility standards and present an EU disability action plan for external action.
  12. Asks the Commission to include Parliament in the Disability Platform and establish an interinstitutional dialogue to monitor inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Who is affected

  • Persons with disabilities in the EU, who would benefit from updated strategy, accessibility improvements, and employment support.
  • Women and girls with disabilities, who face higher violence rates and discrimination, targeted for healthcare and employment measures.
  • EU candidate countries, which would need to align with EU accessibility standards before accession.
  • EU institutions, which should make recruitment and accessibility disability-inclusive.

Figures and deadlines

  • Employment rate of young persons with disabilities is 47.4%, with a 21.5 percentage point gap compared to youth without disabilities.
  • 28.4% of persons with disabilities live in or are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, versus 18.4% of persons without disabilities.
  • Women with disabilities constitute 29.2% of the female population in the EU.

Legal basis: Articles 2 and 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union; Articles 2, 9, 10, 19 and 216(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.