Sittings · Document
OPINION (2025/2057(INI)) 2025-07-18
On the EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities post-2024
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality · Rapporteur: Giusi Princi
AMENDMENTS
The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality submits the following to the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, as the committee responsible :
Amendment 1
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 18 December 1979, |
Amendment 2
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) of 11 May 2011, which entered into force for the EU on 1 October 2023, |
Amendment 3
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD Committee) of 21 March 2025 on the combined second and third periodic reports of the European Union, |
Amendment 4
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the report of 2 August 2022 of the fifteenth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities1a and to the note by the Secretariat to the fifteenth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities1b, | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a CRPD/CSP/2022/5. | |
| 1b CRPD/CSP/2022/4. |
Amendment 5
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, |
Amendment 6
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU1a, | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a OJ L 188, 12.7.2019, p. 79, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/1158/oj. |
Amendment 7
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2020 entitled ‘A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025’ (COM(2020)0152), |
Amendment 8
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the Commission communication of 7 March 2025 entitled ‘A Roadmap for Women’s Rights’ (COM(2025)0097), |
Amendment 9
Motion for a resolution
Citation 32 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2022 on intersectional discrimination in the European Union: the socio-economic situation of women of African, Middle-Eastern, Latin-American and Asian descent1a, | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a OJ C 47, 7.2.2023, p. 184. |
Amendment 10
Motion for a resolution
Citation 35 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to its resolution of 29 November 2018 on the situation of women with disabilities1a, | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a OJ C 363, 28.10.2020, p. 164. |
Amendment 11
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| A. whereas, on 3 March 2021, the Commission put forward the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 (the strategy) with the aim of promoting equal opportunities and full inclusion of persons with disabilities in Europe and around the world; | A. whereas, on 3 March 2021, the Commission put forward the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 (the strategy) with the aim of promoting equal opportunities and full inclusion of persons with disabilities in Europe and around the world; whereas, as reported by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in its concluding observations on the combined second and third periodic reports of the European Union, the strategy lacks focus on the rights of women with disabilities and their specific challenges and needs; whereas data collection fails to adequately capture the impact of ableism in perpetuating stereotypes and discrimination and does not sufficiently address issues of inclusion and intersectionality; whereas comprehensive and comparable data collection at EU level is essential to design effective targeted support policies for persons with disabilities and their families; |
Amendment 12
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| A a. whereas neither the Commission Roadmap for Women’s Rights nor the 2020-2025 gender equality strategy sufficiently take into consideration, or thus protect, the rights of women with disabilities; whereas the way in which the Gender Action Plan III is being implemented in the context of EU external action does not consistently take account of the experiences of individuals, such as women with disabilities, who face multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination; |
Amendment 13
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| B a. whereas in many Member States, children with disabilities continue to be educated in segregated settings and face significant barriers to inclusive education; whereas these barriers include a shortage of qualified teachers and support staff, a lack of reasonable accommodation, inaccessible school infrastructure, rigid and standardised curricula that do not address diverse learning needs, as well as persistent stigma and discriminatory attitudes; whereas an intersectional analysis of educational attainment by gender and disability reveals that women with disabilities have the lowest rate of tertiary education completion, at only 18 %; whereas, by contrast, the highest rate is observed among women without disabilities, with 34 % holding a tertiary qualification; whereas, despite some progress being made through the introduction of the European disability card, the Erasmus+ programme does not fully cover disability-related expenses such as personal assistance abroad and access to properly equipped accommodation and school residences for young people, or take into account the specific needs of female students with disabilities, related, for instance, to their sexual and reproductive health; |
Amendment 14
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| C. whereas, as recognised in the Commission communication on the Union of Skills, persons with disabilities face persistent challenges in access to quality work and training, with existing programmes often falling short on adequately addressing their needs or ensuring accessibility; | C. whereas, as recognised in the Commission communication on the Union of Skills, persons with disabilities face persistent challenges in access to quality work and training, with existing programmes often falling short on adequately addressing their needs or ensuring accessibility; whereas the representation of women with disabilities declines progressively at higher levels of education and professional advancement, partly due to persistent stereotypes; whereas this is particularly evident in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), where women with sensory, hidden and visible disabilities face additional barriers because of the inaccessibility of educational tools and learning environments; whereas there is a pressing need to develop and implement more accessible educational resources to ensure equal opportunities; |
Amendment 15
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| C a. whereas women with disabilities face significant barriers and gaps in the European labour market, with only 49 % of them in paid employment compared to 69.3 % of women without disabilities; whereas, furthermore, merely 20 % of women with disabilities1a are employed full-time compared to 29 % of men with disabilities, 48 % of women without disabilities, and 64 % of men without disabilities1b; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a European Disability Forum, 2023 | |
| 1b European Disability Forum, https://www.edf-feph.org/content/uploads/2022/09/EDF-recommendations-on-employment-of-women-with-disabilities-September-2022-final.pdf. |
Amendment 16
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| C b. whereas among the working-age population (20-64 years), gender disparities remain substantial, with 46.8 % of women with disabilities being economically inactive compared to 42.9 % of their male counterparts1a; whereas only 51.3 % of active, working-age persons with disabilities in the EU are in paid employment, significantly lower than 75.6 % of persons without disabilities; whereas the resulting ‘disability employment gap’ stands at 24.4 %, with some Member States having even lower percentages than the average; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a Eurostat, Activity rates by level of disability (activity limitation) and educational attainment level, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsa_argaeddl__custom_13947475/default/table?lang=en; International Labour Organization Working Paper 124, – ‘A study on the employment and wage outcomes of people with disabilities’, https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/WP124_web.pdf. |
Amendment 17
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| E. whereas 28.4 % of persons with disabilities live in or are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared to 18.4 % of persons without disabilities; | E. whereas 28.4 % of persons with disabilities live in or are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared to 18.4 % of persons without disabilities; whereas 29.8 % of women with disabilities are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, compared to 27.6 % of men with disabilities and 17.3 % of women without disabilities1a; whereas intersecting barriers such as those in education and skills development, obstacles to employment and economic independence, along with the increased cost of living linked to disability-related expenses, are among the key factors contributing to the higher risk of poverty faced by women with disabilities, as well as the particularly difficult situation faced by families raising children with disabilities, and single mothers and carers in particular, who often encounter multiple economic, care and housing barriers, and who lack access to adequate public support; |
| _________________ | |
| 1a European Commission, 2025 report on gender equality in the EU, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2838/5262357. |
Amendment 18
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| F. whereas women with disabilities constitute 29.2 % of the female population in the EU, and they face exclusion and discrimination in all areas of life, as well as high rates of violence against women and domestic violence; | F. whereas women with disabilities constitute 29.2 % of the female population in the EU, and they face exclusion and discrimination in all areas of life, including limited access to education, employment, healthcare and justice, as well as high rates of violence against women and domestic violence, with women with disabilities being two to five times more likely to experience violence than women without disabilities, including gender-based, sexual and domestic violence and disability-specific forms of violence such as forced sterilisation1a and forced abortion; whereas 34 % of women with health problems or disabilities have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by a partner in their lifetime1b; whereas such violence leads to severe health consequences, psychological trauma and social and economic exclusion; whereas, in this regard, current measures to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, including victims of crime – particularly minors – are often inaccessible or fail to provide the necessary adequate and reasonable1c accommodations; |
| _________________ | |
| 1a European Disability Forum, ‘Combating violence against women with disabilities’, https://www.edf-feph.org/content/uploads/2024/11/Guide-Combating-violence-against-women-with-disabilities.pdf. | |
| 1b UN Women, Paper on sexual harassment against women with disabilities in the world of work and on campus, https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2020/Discussion-paper-Sexual-harassment-against-women-with-disabilities-en.pdf. | |
| 1c EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities, (see ANED, 2018, p 103f). |
Amendment 19
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| F a. whereas women and girls with disabilities are shaped by intersecting identities that can lead to specific forms of discrimination, which are prohibited under Article 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, such as those based on various grounds, including gender, sex, characteristics, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age, or sexual orientation, or additionally against homeless persons, refugees, migrants, Roma and other minorities, which can be further aggravated by social and economic factors, in particular for those living in poverty or coming from different ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds; whereas these inequalities are compounded by intersecting forms of discrimination based on gender and disability, and women and girls with disabilities are often also exposed to additional forms of discrimination, such as those previously mentioned; whereas intersectional discrimination impacts women with disabilities in all areas of their lives; |
Amendment 20
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| F b. whereas families continue to play a key role in the support and inclusion of persons with disabilities, and evidence shows that women, in particular, often in the roles of mothers, sisters or daughters, currently remain the most involved in providing unpaid care, which is still undervalued; whereas family care responsibilities should be equally shared between men and women; |
Amendment 21
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| F c. whereas LGBTIQ+ persons with disabilities face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination such as difficulties in accessing appropriate and respectful care, as well as receiving the highest incidence of inappropriate comments from healthcare providers, and are at significant increased risk of physical violence, with nearly half of such cases involving sexual violence; |
Amendment 22
Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| F d. whereas persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls, face barriers in relation to their sexual and reproductive health; whereas forced sterilisation, a serious human rights violation, remains legal or not explicitly prohibited in 14 Member States, with three allowing the sterilisation of minors; |
Amendment 23
Motion for a resolution
Recital F e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| F e. whereas in the EU, forced sterilisation is a serious violation of fundamental rights, and persons with disabilities should be protected against this practice by the EU Charter and the UNCRPD; whereas the European Court of Human Rights has affirmed states’ duty to provide legal safeguards against non-consensual sterilisation; whereas Directive (EU) 2024/13851a classifies forced sterilisation as a form of violence against women; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence, (OJ L, 2024/1385, 24.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1385/oj). |
Amendment 24
Motion for a resolution
Recital F f (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| F f. whereas legal and physical restrictions preventing persons with disabilities from participating in political life are in violation of Article 29 of the UNCRPD, depriving around 400 000 voters of their right to vote in the European elections; whereas challenges such as hate speech, harassment, stereotypes and bias in politics are worse for women with disabilities who have multiple intersecting identities; whereas women and girls with disabilities, especially those living in rural areas or belonging to marginalised communities, face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, which hinder their access to education, healthcare, employment and participation in public life; whereas in line with Article 23 of the UNCRPD, the rights of persons with disabilities, in particular women, should be supported in all matters related to marriage, family and parenthood, as well as founding, maintaining and participating in family life, on an equal basis with others, free from discrimination and with adequate access to support services, as well for addressing work-life balance challenges1a; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a UNCRPD, Article 23 on respect for home and the family. |
Amendment 25
Motion for a resolution
Recital F g (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| F g. whereas women and girls with intellectual, cognitive or psychosocial disabilities frequently encounter disbelief when reporting abuse and are often excluded from criminal proceedings, especially when deprived of legal capacity, such as in the case of persons on the autism spectrum; whereas current EU legislation does not extensively address forced sterilisation, sexual harassment or other forms of gender-based violence, which disproportionately affect women with disabilities; whereas access to specialised services for victims with disabilities remains insufficient and there are no tailored protection mechanisms for deaf women and girls when accessing services or reporting abuse; |
Amendment 26
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| G a. whereas progress towards ensuring equal access and non-discrimination for persons with disabilities varies among Member States and regions, including outermost regions, with women and girls with disabilities facing particular challenges, in view of intersecting inequalities due to both their gender and disability, and discrimination, including in access to education, employment, healthcare and protection from violence; whereas their situation is often overlooked in public policies; |
Amendment 27
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| G b. whereas women and girls with disabilities are disproportionately affected by crises, including health emergencies, armed conflict and humanitarian crises, and climate-related disasters, and whereas their needs are often overlooked, while they face compounded barriers in accessing emergency services, healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health and rights services, shelters, and information; whereas the UNCRPD recognises that the rights of persons with disabilities are particularly adversely affected during emergency situations, according to a global survey1a; whereas 84 % of the persons with disabilities surveyed said they have no personal preparedness plan for disasters, an increase from 71 % in 2013, and whereas 56 % reported not being aware of, or having access to, disaster risk information; whereas only 8 % of those surveyed reported that local disaster risk reduction plans (DRR) addressed the specific needs of persons with disabilities, and 86 % reported having no participation in community–level DRR decision-making and planning; whereas preparedness and crisis response and humanitarian policies and plans must adopt an intersectional gender and disability lens to ensure equal protection and participation; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2023 Global Survey on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters. |
Amendment 28
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| G c. whereas in low and middle-income countries, women are estimated to form up to three-quarters of persons with disabilities, and whereas they are at greater risk of poverty than men with disabilities due to their limited access to education and vocational skills and development opportunities; whereas women with disabilities have restricted access to health services, such as sexual and reproductive health and rights services, and face stigma and negative attitudes when accessing such services; whereas they are often overlooked in development policies and programmes, and whereas there is no reference to women and girls with disabilities in UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality; whereas the recent cuts in US development assistance, with diversity, inclusion and equity programmes being targeted, and the additional cuts by European donors, will have a severe negative impact on funding for gender equality, and on women's rights and the rights of persons with disabilities, including women with disabilities; whereas funding to local organisations of women with disabilities was already limited prior to the funding cuts; |
Amendment 29
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 1. Acknowledges that the strategy sets EU objectives and priorities for action in several policy areas including employment, education, non-discrimination and social protection; notes that the strategy addresses most of the shortcomings identified in the 2010-2020 European disability strategy; | 1. Acknowledges that the strategy sets EU objectives and priorities for action in several policy areas including independent living, employment, education, healthcare, non-discrimination and social protection; notes that the strategy addresses most of the shortcomings identified in the 2010-2020 European disability strategy; |
Amendment 30
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 2 a. Deeply regrets the Commission’s intention to withdraw the Horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive from its 2025 work programme, which has been blocked for years in the Council, and urges the Commission to reverse its decision; reaffirms its support for proposals on anti-discrimination legislation to protect the right to equality of persons with disabilities in all areas of life; calls on the Member States to work towards a resolution of the outstanding issues so as to allow the legislative process to proceed; |
Amendment 31
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 3. Underlines that across Europe, persons with disabilities still face considerable barriers when it comes to healthcare services, higher education and skills development, and having adequate standards of living; | 3. Underlines that across Europe, persons with disabilities, especially women and girls, still face considerable barriers when it comes to healthcare and support services, including access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, as well as education and skills development, and having adequate standards of living; notes that this is particularly true for women with disabilities who face intersecting and cumulative forms of discrimination in all of the aforementioned areas; |
Amendment 32
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 3 a. Draws particular attention to the need for integrated and multidisciplinary care services for women with disabilities, including in the areas of mental health, gynaecological care, perinatal support and support in crisis situations, such as domestic violence; |
Amendment 33
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 3 a. Recognises the importance of day centre services for persons with intellectual disabilities and for the development of their essential skills; underlines the need for sufficient investment in such services; |
Amendment 34
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4. Underlines that, while employment leads to multiple positive outcomes for persons with disabilities, such as higher incomes, improved quality of life and an increase in social inclusion, participation in the open labour market remains a major challenge, and persons with disabilities therefore continue to face a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion; | 4. Underlines that, while employment leads to multiple positive outcomes for persons with disabilities, such as higher incomes, improved quality of life and an increase in social inclusion, participation in the open labour market remains a major challenge, and persons with disabilities, especially women, therefore continue to face a higher risk of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion; emphasises the existence of a significant gender and disability employment gap, with women with disabilities being particularly affected; stresses that the employment disadvantage experienced by women with disabilities, compounded by additional disability-related costs, including healthcare, specialist assistance, medical equipment and the adaptation of housing to remove architectural barriers, significantly undermines their economic status and constitutes a barrier to them achieving economic independence and autonomous living; highlights that this increased risk of poverty and social exclusion also heightens their exposure to gender-based violence, including domestic violence and other forms of exploitation and abuse; |
Amendment 35
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point 1 (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| (1) Calls on the Commission and the Member States to explicitly include women and girls with disabilities to ensure that all employment, training and upskilling programmes are fully accessible, inclusive and tailored to their specific needs, as persons with disabilities; |
Amendment 36
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4 a. Expresses concern that home care packages in Member States are not valued enough and stresses that they must be seen as an essential tool to allow persons with disabilities to live an independent and fulfilling life; |
Amendment 37
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 5. Underlines that, to reach the EU targets of reducing the number of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million, it will be necessary to increase the employment rate of persons with disabilities, notably through support measures to ease access to jobs, together with reasonable accommodation measures in the workplace; | 5. Underlines that, since 2021, the number of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU has decreased by only 1.6 million, indicating limited progress toward the EU’s target of reducing this number by at least 15 million by 2030; expresses serious concerns that this target is unlikely to be met; stresses that the upcoming EU Anti-Poverty Strategy must include targeted and gender-based measures to address the causes of poverty faced by women with disabilities, notably by financing and providing a dedicated budget for personal assistance, which play a crucial role in enabling independent living and access to employment for persons with all kinds of disabilities, as well as to facilitate entrepreneurship, particularly for women, together with reasonable accommodation measures in the workplace and appropriate equipment; |
Amendment 38
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 5 a. Expresses deep concern about the fact that many persons with disabilities living in accommodation centres across Member States are living in unsuitable and congregated settings, which have a detrimental impact on their development and standard of life; calls for all accommodation centres to be properly resourced and funded to meet their needs; |
Amendment 39
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 6. Takes note of the evidence that reveals the continuing plight of persons with disabilities who are often unable to fully avail of their EU rights; is concerned that, despite progress at policy level, persons with disabilities are left behind in many aspects of life; | 6. Takes note of the evidence that reveals the continuing plight of persons with disabilities, in particular those facing intersectional challenges, who are often unable to fully avail of their EU rights; is concerned that, despite progress at policy level, persons with disabilities, especially women and girls, are left behind in many aspects of life; recognises that the discrimination they face prevents them from exercising their rights as women and as persons with disabilities; takes note that these effects are felt to a pronounced degree by single parents – mainly mothers – of children with disabilities and by women caring for family members with disabilities, who often do not receive sufficient income support or support services; calls for stronger measures to ensure a more equal sharing of family care responsibilities between men and women, in order to relieve the disproportionate burden currently borne by women; |
Amendment 40
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 6 a. Encourages the Member States and the EU institutions to foster the political and civic participation of women with disabilities by removing physical, digital and attitudinal barriers in public life; recommends inclusive leadership and mentorship programmes and the use of EU funds to support the engagement of women with disabilities in policymaking, including through funding and meaningful consultations with organisations of women with disabilities; |
Amendment 41
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 7. Considers that some of the policy areas covered in the strategy have received less attention, such as equal access to social protection, healthcare, transport, education, housing, and new skills and access to quality jobs; regrets that there were no flagship initiatives under the policy area of equal access and non-discrimination, and that the European disability and parking cards were the only legislative proposals put forward by the Commission; | 7. Considers that some of the policy areas covered in the strategy have received less attention, such as equal access to social protection, healthcare, including sexual and reproductive healthcare, transport, education, housing, and new skills and access to quality jobs; points out that women with disabilities face significant barriers in accessing healthcare, which violates their fundamental rights and can lead to systemic healthcare deprivation; calls for the incorporation of a gender perspective into health policies aimed at persons with disabilities and for mandatory training for medical staff on the rights of female patients with disabilities; regrets that there were no flagship initiatives under the policy area of equal access and non-discrimination, with very limited attention given to intersectional aspects, family support or inclusive education, and that the European disability and parking cards were the only legislative proposals put forward by the Commission; stresses that all persons with disabilities who are citizens of the European Union must have equal access to the EU Disability Card and the EU Parking Card, without additional barriers, regardless of their gender or region of origin – whether peripheral, rural, or cross-border; considers that all the aforementioned policy areas need to be implemented taking into account the different types of disabilities and the different ways in which they affect men and women; calls for this situation to be reversed and requests that the strategy have specific targets, goals and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the full implementation of the strategy, and for legislative measures linked to these fields to be proposed, if and where appropriate; |
Amendment 42
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 8. Calls on the Commission to undertake a comprehensive mid-term evaluation of the strategy, including an impact assessment of the implemented flagship initiatives; | 8. Calls on the Commission to undertake a comprehensive mid-term evaluation of the strategy, including an impact assessment of the implemented flagship initiatives and its gender and intersectional impact; underlines that, as the seven flagship initiatives were identified prior to 2024, the Commission must now define the measures and initiatives needed to address the persistent gap between persons with and without disabilities during the second half of the strategy’s implementation period, as well as between men and women with disabilities; |
Amendment 43
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 8 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop gender-responsive, disability-inclusive emergency preparedness and response strategies, ensuring that women and girls with disabilities are actively consulted and included in crisis planning and response mechanisms; highlights the need for accessible shelters, early warning systems and health services, and for the representation of women with disabilities in relevant crisis governance structures; |
Amendment 44
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 9. Stresses that, considering the persistent challenges persons with disabilities face, there are obvious gaps where more EU action is needed post-2024; calls on the Commission, therefore, to put forward an updated strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities for the period 2025-2030, including the actions described below; | 9. Stresses that, considering the persistent challenges persons with disabilities face, there are obvious gaps where more EU action is needed post-2024, including the concrete implementation of the strategy at national level, supported by measures that primarily strengthen income security and labour market participation; calls on the Commission, therefore, to put forward an updated strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities for the period 2025-2030, including the actions described below in developing such a strategy, and backed by adequate resources, specifically earmarked for addressing the distinct needs of persons with disabilities, with particular attention to the needs of women with disabilities; calls on the Commission to hold regular consultations with civil society and women with disabilities, and to regularly assess the implementation of the commitments undertaken to ensure meaningful progress; |
Amendment 45
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 9 a. Calls for combating gender stereotypes in education systems and for the provision of accessible educational formats tailored to the needs of girls and boys with various kinds of disabilities, including through teacher training and bias-free educational materials; |
Amendment 46
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 9 b. Calls on the Member States to promote inclusive education systems that are fully accessible to children with disabilities, with a specific gender lens to address the disproportionate dropout rates of girls with disabilities and to ensure their full participation in STEM and digital literacy programmes; |
Amendment 47
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 9 c. Encourages the Member States to invest in inclusive education and lifelong learning systems that take into account the needs of girls and young women with disabilities, including by countering gender stereotypes in curricula and career guidance; |
Amendment 48
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 9 d. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the post-2024 strategy pays greater attention to the role of women in the family, as evidence shows that women are still bearing the majority of the caregiving commitments, as well as to a more equal sharing of care responsibilities between men and women; |
Amendment 49
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10. Calls on the Commission, as part of the implementation of the strategy, to include the rights of persons with disabilities in the post-2027 multiannual financial framework regulation, where relevant, along with maintaining the horizontal enabling condition on the implementation of the UNCRPD; | 10. Calls on the Commission, as part of the implementation of the strategy, to include the rights of persons with disabilities in the post-2027 multiannual financial framework regulation with targeted programmes, where relevant, along with maintaining the horizontal enabling condition on the implementation of the UNCRPD; stresses, in this regard, that EU cohesion policy is key to enhancing accessible, affordable and adaptable social services for groups in vulnerable situations, especially women and girls with disabilities; calls, furthermore, for specific attention to be paid in the upcoming gender equality strategy to the situation of women with disabilities who face multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination; |
Amendment 50
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the update of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities post-2024 is drafted in coordination with the upcoming EU Gender Equality Strategy, the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, as well as the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan post-2025 and the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy post-2025; emphasises the need for these frameworks to integrate an intersectional approach into policymaking, to propose further actions and flagship initiatives, and to specifically address poverty and social exclusion experienced by women and girls with disabilities; |
Amendment 51
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10 b. Underlines that, as an obligation stemming from the UNCRPD, the EU must mainstream the rights of persons with disabilities through all programmes in the multiannual financial framework post-2027; considers it essential to ensure that persons with disabilities, especially women and girls, have equitable access to all programmes funded by the EU, in line with the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030; urges the Commission to develop a methodology to track spending that benefits persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls, and to verify that all programmes and EU-funded projects guarantee gender-equal opportunities and access to EU funding for persons with disabilities; |
Amendment 52
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10 c. Stresses the urgent need for gender- and age-disaggregated data on persons with disabilities across the Member States, with a particular focus on the intersection of disability with other grounds, to support evidence-based policymaking and targeted inclusion measures, and to monitor progress in achieving equality and inclusion for women and girls with disabilities; |
Amendment 53
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10 d. Calls on the Commission to closely monitor the adoption, implementation and impact of policy measures in the Member States, including those related to accessibility, such as the disability employment package, in order to ensure that accessibility-related gender gaps in employment, poverty and access to social protection, education and healthcare are being effectively reduced, also within the framework of the European Semester and in line with its social indicators; |
Amendment 54
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10 e. Encourages the allocation of EU resources, where appropriate, to projects that empower caregivers, who are often women, especially in rural or economically disadvantaged regions, including access to respite services, psychological support and training opportunities; |
Amendment 55
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 11. Welcomes the creation of the European accessibility centre AccessibleEU and calls for this body to be strengthened through the creation of a permanent regulatory agency to support the implementation and monitoring of accessibility legislation in the EU and to promote a more accessible Europe; | 11. Welcomes the creation of the European accessibility centre, AccessibleEU, and calls for this body to be strengthened through the creation of a permanent regulatory agency to support the implementation and monitoring of accessibility legislation in the EU and to promote a more accessible Europe; underlines the need to ensure the full and effective implementation of current legislation aimed at promoting the equal participation of persons with disabilities in society, such as Directive (EU) 2019/8821a (the European Accessibility Act), through regular monitoring; |
| _________________ | |
| 1a Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services, (OJ L 151, 7.6.2019, p. 70, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/882/oj). |
Amendment 56
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 12. Calls for the development of new technologies to ensure accessibility, and for the participation of persons with disabilities in all phases of design, development and implementation of technologies, in order to mitigate any risk of discrimination; | 12. Calls for the development of new digital technologies and online platforms to ensure accessibility and avoid the need for physical presence; calls for the participation of persons with disabilities, especially women and girls, in all phases of design, development and implementation of technologies, in order to mitigate any risk of discrimination, without prejudice to the need for public services, both physical and digital, to be made accessible from the design stage (‘inclusion by design’) and for alternatives to digital services to be provided for persons with disabilities, particularly women, at all times, such as physical counters and telephone assistance; calls for the promotion and support of personal assistance policies as a pre-condition for autonomy, independent living and active participation in society for persons with disabilities, particularly women; |
Amendment 57
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 13 a. Points out that the lack of labels and product information available in alternative formats (e.g. audiovisual, simplified language, easy-to-read language) particularly affects older people and children with disabilities; calls for the development of consumer information accessibility standards that take into account the diverse needs of users, including parents and carers of persons with disabilities, who, as evidence shows, are often women; underlines that accessible labelling and digital accessibility should also consider gender-specific needs, including the needs of women with disabilities who may face additional barriers in understanding or interacting with product information due to low digital literacy or exclusion from design processes; |
Amendment 58
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 14. Highlights the need to revise existing EU legislation on the accessibility of transport infrastructure and vehicles such as trains, buses, planes and boats; | 14. Highlights the need to revise existing EU legislation on the accessibility of transport infrastructure and vehicles such as trains, buses, planes and boats, as well as support for pilot projects aimed at developing smart mobility solutions using low-complexity applications and voice assistance, in order to facilitate autonomous travel for persons with disabilities, with a particular focus on ensuring access for women with disabilities, especially those living in rural and remote areas who are disproportionately affected by transport poverty and exclusion; stresses the need to enhance accessibility equally in all physical spaces, including public buildings, sports centres, and recreational and tourist facilities, calling for the integration of accessibility requirements into the design of tourism infrastructure and services, including accommodation and cultural sites, to ensure that persons with disabilities, particularly women, who are disproportionately isolated, can equally participate in leisure activities and cultural life; |
Amendment 59
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 15. Welcomes the Commission’s guide of good electoral practices in Member States addressing the participation of citizens with disabilities in the electoral process, published in 2023 ahead of the European elections, and asks the Commission to assess the results in the 2024 European elections and take the necessary legislative initiatives to address the participation of citizens with disabilities in the electoral process for future elections; | 15. Welcomes the Commission’s guide of good electoral practices in Member States addressing the participation of citizens with disabilities in the electoral process, published in 2023 ahead of the European elections, and asks the Commission to assess the results in the 2024 European elections, in particular the participation of women living with disabilities in the elections, to take action to close data gaps in this regard, and to take the necessary legislative initiatives to address the participation of citizens with disabilities in the electoral process for future elections, both in terms of active and passive suffrage, removing physical and legal barriers, such as the denial of the right to vote for people under guardianship in some Member States 1a, ensuring that women with disabilities have the proper and necessary support to run as candidates and be politicians at all levels and paying particular attention to barriers faced by women with disabilities, persons with disabilities with racial or ethnic backgrounds and LGBTQIA+ persons with disabilities; stresses that this must be ensured by implementing accessibility features and reasonable accommodations, eliminating violence against women in elections, including harassment, and raising awareness within society; |
| _________________ | |
| 1a EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, ‘More people with disabilities can vote but barriers remain’, https://fra.europa.eu/en/news/2024/more-people-disabilities-can-vote-barriers-remain. |
Amendment 60
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 15 a. Stresses that persons with disabilities face specific barriers in exercising their civil rights, including access to electoral information, polling stations and registration procedures; calls for election campaigns, including audiovisual content, to be made fully accessible; stresses the need to further improve the accessibility of elections, as many persons with disabilities, particularly women and persons with intellectual disabilities, continue to face barriers, or are effectively excluded from the electoral process, resulting also in their lack of proper representation, as can be seen in the current under-representation of disabled Members of the European Parliament; calls, in this sense, for measures to ease electoral procedures, facilities, materials and information in order to ensure that all individuals with disabilities can vote independently and in secrecy, including the provision of reasonable accommodations, such as alternative voting methods, advance voting options, tactile stencils, QR codes, or accessible guidance in formats such as easy-to-read language, sign language, or Braille; calls, furthermore, for the right to freely choose a person to assist in casting one’s vote; |
Amendment 61
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 16. Recognises that persons with disabilities encounter obstacles in accessing education and employment, and calls for the Union of Skills to enable greater investment in inclusive education, adaptations and accessibility in digital and vocational training, as well as to provide support in the transition to employment through adapted training and reasonable accommodation in the workplace; | 16. Recognises that persons with disabilities, in particular women and girls, encounter obstacles in accessing education and employment, and calls for the Union of Skills to enable greater investment in inclusive education through adequate adaptations and accessibility measures; underlines the need to support learners with disabilities throughout the entire education cycle and encourages the Member States to fulfil their obligation to provide quality, inclusive education, while receiving EU support in doing so; calls on the Commission to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence in education, as referred to in the Commission’s 2022 ethical guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence and data in teaching and learning for educators, does not lead to discrimination against persons with disabilities, but rather becomes an empowering tool to create equal opportunities; insists that the implementation of the digital education action plan should guarantee accessibility for students with disabilities; stresses the importance of ensuring that Erasmus+ covers all disability-related expenses, particularly for women and girls with disabilities, in order to ensure their full participation in mobility programmes; highlights the need to facilitate a smooth transition to employment through adapted training and reasonable accommodation in the workplace; |
Amendment 62
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 16 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that all flagship initiatives and actions under the Union of Skills are inclusive of persons with disabilities and have a strong disability and gender equality dimension; |
Amendment 63
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 16 b. Stresses the need to tailor inclusive education and vocational training programmes to the needs of young women and girls with disabilities, especially in male-dominated sectors, in order to reduce gender and disability-based employment gaps; |
Amendment 64
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 16 c. Encourages the development of EU-supported entrepreneurship and reskilling programmes for women with disabilities, particularly in green and digital sectors, to address the compounded barriers to economic independence; |
Amendment 65
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 16 d. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the family and informal carer dimension of the European Disability Strategy post-2024 through a new flagship initiative that would include EU-funded actions aimed at facilitating access for informal carers and family members with disabilities to community and in-home support services, non-segregated housing, respite care, training and guidance; |
Amendment 66
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 16 e. Calls for a Council recommendation on early intervention to promote and disseminate good practices among Member States aimed at ensuring that all children and families with disabilities receive the support they need; calls, in this sense, on the Member States, in providing pre-school childcare, to place emphasis not only on accessibility, but also on the quality and affordability of that care, in particular for children with disabilities, while taking into account the needs of parents with disabilities; calls, furthermore, on the Member States to improve public investment in early childhood education and care for these groups of people; |
Amendment 67
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 17. Calls on the Commission to establish an EU-funded employment and skills guarantee for persons with disabilities, without age restrictions, aimed at facilitating access to employment, training and further education, and to ensure that all programmes are fully accessible and designed to support the transition from sheltered employment to regular employment, including reasonable accommodation measures where relevant; | 17. Calls on the Commission to establish an EU-funded employment and skills guarantee for persons with disabilities, without age restrictions, aimed at facilitating access to employment, training and further education, and to ensure that all programmes are fully accessible and designed to support the transition from sheltered employment to regular employment, including reasonable accommodation measures, where relevant, with special attention to removing intersectional barriers faced by women with disabilities, coming, for instance, from rural and underdeveloped areas, disadvantaged or migrant, ethnic and racial backgrounds, Roma communities, as well as those affected by poverty or low educational attainment; emphasises the need to promote independent living rather than investing in institutionalised settings, ensuring that persons with disabilities have ownership of their lives; calls for resources to be redirected towards the development of community-based services, personal assistance and policies that make public services, such as housing, education, transport and healthcare, available and accessible to persons with disabilities, while taking into account the intersecting barriers faced by women with disabilities in their roles as individuals, caregivers and parents; |
Amendment 68
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 18. Insists, in the context of the review of the EPSR and its action plan in 2025, and of an update of the Disability Employment Package, on the explicit recognition of all employment models of persons with disabilities, respecting dignity and labour rights in line with the UNCRPD and ensuring fair and accessible working conditions for persons with disabilities; | 18. Insists, in the context of the review of the EPSR and its action plan in 2025, and of an update of the Disability Employment Package, on the explicit recognition of all employment models of persons with disabilities, respecting dignity and labour rights in line with the UNCRPD and ensuring fair and accessible working conditions for persons with disabilities; underlines the need to recognise and appropriately value care work, including the work of social assistants and informal carers, who are often women and who face structural undervaluation, insufficient remuneration and economic discrimination; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the impact of Directive (EU) 2019/1158 on work-life balance on the rights of working parents and carers with disabilities; calls for particular attention to be paid to removing barriers faced by employers in hiring persons with disabilities, by providing simple procedures and appropriate support, among other measures; calls, in particular, for the recognition of the socio-economic impact borne by mothers caring for children with disabilities, and for adequate measures to compensate and mitigate the long-term negative consequences of this on their income and participation in the labour market, such as through investments in public infrastructure and services to support carers; stresses the need to promote policies that favour the equal sharing of care responsibilities between mothers and fathers; |
Amendment 69
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 18 a. Urges the Commission to address the lack of recognition of informal care work carried out by women with disabilities or those caring for family members with disabilities, by supporting Member States in designing social protection schemes and career transition measures; |
Amendment 70
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 18 b. Underlines that carers of children with disabilities, especially women, often encounter significant barriers in accessing healthcare; |
Amendment 71
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 18 c. Calls for the provision of adequate healthcare, psychological support and counselling services both to women, particularly mothers of children with disabilities, and to persons with disabilities themselves, stressing that many also lack access to the necessary community-based services and personal assistance that would enable them to live independently and be included in the community, as enshrined in Article 19 of the UNCRPD and reaffirmed in the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030; |
Amendment 72
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19 a. Recognises that persons with disabilities, particularly women, face greater challenges in achieving equal access in remote and rural areas, islands and outermost regions due to factors such as limited accessibility, inadequate infrastructure and insufficient resources, including in healthcare and education, which restrict their access to essential services; recognises that the limited job opportunities further limit the autonomy and economic independence of women with disabilities; calls on the Commission, therefore, to promote cohesion policies that also take into account the specific needs of women with disabilities; |
Amendment 73
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19 b. Calls for dedicated funding under the Social Economy Action Plan to support enterprises led by women with disabilities, particularly in rural and underdeveloped regions; |
Amendment 74
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19 c. Calls for the development of EU guidelines on supported pathways to adulthood that take into account the needs of girls and young women with disabilities requiring integrated actions to support their continued education, entry into the labour market and access to housing and support services; |
Amendment 75
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 20 a. Acknowledges the importance of targeted programmes within the ESF+ aimed at supporting employment and social inclusion initiatives, including entrepreneurship for women with disabilities through tailored entrepreneurial training and mentoring, microfinance and grants for self-employment, or the inclusion of women with disabilities in Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, and encourages the Member States to promote all of the aforementioned activities and programmes; |
Amendment 76
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 20 b. Recalls the essential role of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme in providing financial support to civil society organisations working to advance and defend disability rights across the Member States; calls for CERV and all its existing strands to be maintained and strengthened under the next multiannual financial framework; |
Amendment 77
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 21. Considers that access to quality affordable and accessible housing represents a challenge in the EU, in particular for persons with disabilities, and calls, therefore, for support for housing including by using existing support for renovation, and for the establishment of a fund within the framework of EU cohesion policy to support accessible and disability-inclusive social housing; | 21. Considers that access to quality affordable and accessible housing represents a challenge in the EU, in particular for persons with disabilities; calls, therefore, for support for housing and measures that address additional energy poverty burdens on persons with disabilities, prioritising women and girls, especially those living alone or in institutional settings, and young persons with disabilities who are transitioning from institutional care or family homes to independent living, with attention to gender-based risks of homelessness, including by using existing support for renovation, and calls for the establishment of a fund within the framework of EU cohesion policy to support accessible, affordable and disability-inclusive social housing; calls for the integration of disability and accessibility aspects into the future European affordable housing initiative in order to ensure that persons with disabilities, particularly women, who are disproportionately affected by isolation and segregation, can fully benefit from the programme in accordance with their right to live independently and be included in the community; |
Amendment 78
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 22. Recognises the challenges faced by women and girls with disabilities and notes that women with disabilities face higher rates of violence against women and domestic violence; | 22. Recognises the specific challenges faced by women and girls with disabilities and notes that women with disabilities face higher rates of violence against women and domestic violence; stresses that 34 % of women with disabilities have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by a partner or non-partner, while 68 % of women with disabilities have experienced some form of violence, including psychological abuse, economic violence and harassment1a; notes that women and girls with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, are disproportionately exposed to specific forms of gender-based violence, including forced sterilisation, forced abortion and non-consensual contraception; notes with concern that such practices are more frequent in cases where women have been deprived of legal capacity, which prevents them from recognising, reporting or resisting abuse; underlines that access to justice is severely limited when women with disabilities do not have legal standing, while perpetrators may include those in positions of care or authority; reiterates that accessibility must encompass not only physical access, but also procedural and legal accessibility, and calls on all Member States that have not yet ratified the Istanbul Convention to do so without delay, to ensure that all women are equally protected; |
| _________________ | |
| 1a EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2014 report on violence against women. |
Amendment 79
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 22 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to address the invisibility of violence against women and girls with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual, cognitive or psychosocial disabilities; recalls that under the new Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on combating violence against women, Member States are required to provide specific support for women with disabilities who are victims of violence, to take into account their specific circumstances when assessing their protection needs, recognising the intersection between certain forms of violence against women such as female genital mutilation and disability, which expose women and girls to multiple forms of discrimination and vulnerabilities and, to take targeted preventive measures in formats accessible to persons with disabilities in order to prioritise the prevention of violence against women with disabilities, both offline and online, in future legislation and strategies; |
Amendment 80
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 22 b. Underlines the importance of developing a culture of non-violence based on respect for the human rights of women and girls with disabilities from the early stages of compulsory education, supported by all forms of information and communication technologies, promoting comprehensive awareness-raising campaigns from an early age through inclusive and accessible educational programmes; stresses the need to involve professionals trained in universal communication to empower women and girls with disabilities to recognise, prevent and report violence; calls strongly for the development of tailored materials and tools to overcome communication and cognitive barriers; highlights, furthermore, their increased vulnerability to institutional and economic violence, especially in closed care facilities and dependent care relationships; calls for the development of mechanisms to prevent such forms of violence and to ensure that independent complaints channels are accessible to all women with disabilities; |
Amendment 81
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 22 c. Calls on the Commission to fulfil its commitment under the current Gender Equality Strategy to publish its recommendation on combating harmful practices, which should include a recommendation to ban forced sterilisation; calls on the Commission to take a strong stance on criminalising forced sterilisation with no exception based on disability or legal capacity, ensuring that such practices are explicitly recognised and prosecuted as criminal offences under EU law; |
Amendment 82
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 22 d. Stresses the urgent need for the collection of systematic and disaggregated data on gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities, including specific forms of gender-based violence such as forced sterilisation, forced abortion and involuntary contraception; calls for the inclusion of disability-specific indicators in national and EU-level statistics, such as statistics drawn up by the European Institute for Gender Equality, and for the documentation and dissemination of good practices; |
Amendment 83
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 22 e. Calls for improved data collection on how the loss of legal capacity among women with disabilities undermines their ability to make autonomous decisions in key areas of life, including their reproductive rights, the right to motherhood and guardianship, and the ability to form and maintain relationships, own and inherit property and assets, pursue employment if they so choose, and exercise control over their own finances; |
Amendment 84
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 f (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 22 f. Is concerned that few countries have provisions securing the right of persons with disabilities to access legal gender recognition; notes that legal gender recognition, even where allowed, might be inaccessible for women and girls under legal guardianship; calls on the Member States to adopt legal gender recognition legislation based on self-determination and taking into account accessibility needs for persons with disabilities; |
Amendment 85
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 23. Recalls the need to give visibility to the rights of women with disabilities and their role as active participants in society; | 23. Notes that neither the disability strategy nor the gender equality strategy provide for specific actions aimed at stimulating women’s political leadership and the active participation of women with disabilities in society; calls for specific initiatives to foster their participation in democratic processes and in public life, reversing the common narrative according to which they are often perceived only as persons in need of care or as victims, rather than active participants in society; emphasises the importance of promoting equal opportunities for women with disabilities, including supporting initiatives aimed at improving their access to leadership and decision-making roles across all sectors, so that the value of their work is fairly recognised and rewarded in higher positions; calls on the Commission and the Member States to actively promote the political participation of women with disabilities by removing structural barriers, ensuring accessibility in electoral and decision-making processes, supporting leadership training, and fostering inclusive representation in political parties, institutions and advisory bodies; |
Amendment 86
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 23 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to invest in accessible, inclusive and targeted EU-wide learning tools and training programmes specifically designed to support leadership development among women with disabilities, taking into account intersecting barriers and ensuring availability in accessible formats (e.g. Braille, sign language, easy-to-read, etc.); |
Amendment 87
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 23 b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure equal access to justice for women with disabilities by making justice systems fully accessible, providing training for law enforcement and judicial personnel on disabilities, and guaranteeing accessible reporting mechanisms, legal aid and protection measures tailored to their needs; |
Amendment 88
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 23 c. Calls on the Commission to establish a dedicated European support programme for women with disabilities who are mothers or caregivers, with the aim of strengthening their ability to remain in or enter the labour market through flexible working arrangements, remote training and targeted social benefits; |
Amendment 89
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 23 d. Calls on the Commission to improve disaggregated data collection on the participation of women and girls with disabilities in the political, economic and social spheres, and to develop data collection systems that identify their diverse lived experiences, in close consultation with, and with the active involvement of, their representative organisations; |
Amendment 90
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 24. Calls on the Commission to address, at EU level, the barriers to accessing healthcare for women in all their diversity, including barriers faced by women and girls with disabilities; | 24. Calls on the Commission to address, at EU level, the barriers to accessing healthcare, including sexual and reproductive healthcare services, for women in all their diversity; notes that these barriers can be exacerbated in certain regions, where their vulnerabilities are increased due to limited access to protection services, reporting mechanisms, trained local authorities and community-based support; calls, therefore, for the transposition and effective implementation of Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on combating violence against women and domestic violence in all EU Member States and their regions, as well as other mechanisms at EU level that address this issue; |
Amendment 91
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 24 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the full recognition and protection of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls and LGBTQI+ persons with disabilities, removing legal, social and physical barriers in order to guarantee their autonomy, dignity and access to informed consent in all medical procedures, including access to comprehensive, accessible and inclusive information on contraception services and comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education; strongly condemns harmful practices such as forced or coerced sterilisation of persons with disabilities, including transgender and intersex persons in certain Member States; recalls that such practices constitute a grave violation of human rights and bodily autonomy, as highlighted by the UNCRPD; notes that both the UNCRPD Committee and the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities have called for the abolition of all forms of non-consensual medical treatment, including sterilisation; stresses that informed, free and prior consent must be the basis for any medical procedure, and calls for Member States to ensure access to justice and reparations for all victims of forced sterilisation; calls on the Commission and the Member States to urgently ensure the full prohibition and criminalisation of forced sterilisation across the EU; |
Amendment 92
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 24 b. Underlines that across Europe, persons with disabilities still face considerable barriers across all areas, but particularly when it comes to health and care services, higher education and skills development, and having adequate standards of living, particularly women and girls with disabilities and persons with high support needs; underlines that inclusive education and awareness-raising campaigns are essential starting points for overcoming the medicalised approach to disability and for promoting personal autonomy, quality of life, interpersonal relationships and full participation in public life; highlights the lack of explicit legal protection against disability-based discrimination in healthcare, or for persons with disabilities facing systemic barriers to healthcare access, owing to healthcare providers’ disregard for their health concerns or automatic attribution of their health issues to disability, insufficient reasonable accommodations, lack of accessible materials and processes, and, lastly, the gaps in cross-border healthcare access, including the lack of accessible information provided by national contact points and the failure to reimburse disability-related expenses; |
Amendment 93
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 24 c. Emphasises the importance of ensuring that all healthcare professionals receive comprehensive training and adopt a holistic approach that considers all relevant dimensions of well-being and disability, including gender; underscores that medical personnel must operate in a non-discriminatory manner and possess the necessary competencies to identify and address the specific needs of women and girls with disabilities; stresses the need to establish comprehensive accessibility standards across healthcare systems, requiring the Member States to develop easy-to-read medical materials, accessible administrative processes and communication training for healthcare professionals to support persons with intellectual disabilities; |
Amendment 94
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 24 d. Emphasises the importance of ensuring access to mental health support for women and girls with disabilities, especially those exposed to gender-based violence or exclusion in educational or family settings; underlines that mothers with disabilities face additional challenges, in particular when it comes to maternal mental health, access to healthcare services or unpaid care work; stresses the need to remove structural and informational barriers that hinder preventive care such as cervical and breast cancer screenings; highlights the obstacles faced by women during pregnancy and motherhood, including the lack of adequate and accessible support services; underlines that inclusive education and awareness-raising campaigns are essential starting points for overcoming the medicalised approach to disability and for promoting personal autonomy, quality of life, interpersonal relationships and full participation in public life; |
Amendment 95
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 24 e. Calls on the Commission to provide sufficient funding for the EU4Health programme in order to tackle health inequities for persons with disabilities; calls, furthermore, on the Commission to revise Directive (EU) 2024/28411a (the Patient Mobility Directive) to guarantee equal access to healthcare for persons with disabilities in cross-border situations and to support the Member States in implementing guidelines to increase access to healthcare; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a Directive (EU) 2024/2841 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024 establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities, (OJ L, 2024/2841, 14.11.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/2841/oj). |
Amendment 96
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 f (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 24 f. Calls for the systematic collection of data on the situation of women and girls with disabilities in all relevant policy areas to enable the development of targeted policies; |
Amendment 97
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 25. Calls on the Commission to strengthen its efforts to address discrimination faced by women with disabilities, who continue to face high unemployment rates and lower pay; | 25. Calls on the Commission to strengthen its efforts to address discrimination faced by women with disabilities, including women with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, pointing out that these women often perform unpaid care work, who continue to face high unemployment rates and lower pay, by investing in research on the gender pay gap and pension gap, actively involving the European Institute for Gender Equality, comparing women with disabilities to men with disabilities and women without disabilities1a, as well as by better enforcing Council Directive 2000/78/EC1b (the Employment Equality Directive) across the Member States and strengthening equality bodies, as provided for by Council Directive (EU) 2024/14991c; points out that these women often perform unpaid care work and are excluded from active labour market policies; |
| _________________ | |
| 1a The European Institute for Gender Equality, ‘Gender equality and disability’, https://eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/20181612_mh0418229enn_pdf_0.pdf. | |
| 1b Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, (OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2000/78/oj). | |
| 1c Council Directive (EU) 2024/1499 of 7 May 2024 on standards for equality bodies in the field of equal treatment between persons irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, equal treatment in matters of employment and occupation between persons irrespective of their religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, equal treatment between women and men in matters of social security and in the access to and supply of goods and services, and amending Directives 2000/43/EC and 2004/113/EC, (OJ L, 2024/1499, 29.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1499/oj). |
Amendment 98
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 25 a. Calls on the Commission to assess whether the diverse needs of parents with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities are taken into account when exercising their rights to maternity leave, paternity leave, parental leave, care leave and flexible working conditions; urges the Commission and the Member States to grant extended family leave periods, including maternity and paternity leave, to parents with disabilities; |
Amendment 99
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 25 b. Highlights the structural and intersectional barriers to employment and economic independence for older persons with disabilities, in particular older women with disabilities who have not received adequate attention in the Disability Strategy; calls for targeted initiatives to support their participation in lifelong learning, upskilling and entrepreneurship; |
Amendment 100
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 25 c. Calls on the Commission to mandate and provide adequate resources to the European Institute for Gender Equality and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights to conduct EU-wide research on the intersectional aspects of poverty, including on poverty and social exclusion faced by women with disabilities; |
Amendment 101
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 25 d. Recognises the challenges faced by older persons with disabilities, in particular in terms of access to healthcare and support, independent living, social protection, protection from violence and abuse, and equal participation in society, who have not received adequate attention in the Disability Strategy; calls on the Commission to take action, at EU level, to address the intersectional barriers faced by older persons with disabilities in equally enjoying their rights; |
Amendment 102
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 26 a. Urges the EU to ensure that accessibility standards are harmonised and properly implemented in candidate countries, with particular attention to services used by women and girls, including healthcare, transport and education; |
Amendment 103
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 27. Underlines that the Union should further mainstream the disability rights dimension in its external action and cooperation policies, in particular in the gender action plan and the human rights and democracy action plan, and calls on the Commission to present an EU disability action plan for external action; | 27. Underlines that the Union should further mainstream the disability rights dimension in its external action and cooperation policies, in particular in the gender action plan and the human rights and democracy action plan; highlights that persons with disabilities in war-torn and conflict-affected areas face unique and heightened risks, including challenges in accessing safe zones, humanitarian assistance and evacuation routes; notes, with particular concern, the situation of child amputees in Gaza and others with mobility impairments; calls on the Commission to take into account the intersectional nature of disability in conflict settings, including age, gender and type of impairment, when designing and implementing EU humanitarian and protection policies; calls on the Commission to present an EU disability action plan for external action; |
Amendment 104
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 28. Considers it necessary to include persons with disabilities in EU-funded humanitarian aid to ensure that there is an inclusive, accessible and effective approach; | 28. Considers it necessary to include persons with disabilities in EU-funded humanitarian aid and development programmes, including specific measures to protect women and persons with disabilities in conflict and post-conflict settings, to ensure that there is a dedicated and inclusive approach to women with disabilities that addresses their specific and intersectional identity; calls on the Commission to prioritise funding for gender equality and the rights of women, including women living with disabilities, and stresses that disability-sensitive sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence prevention and response programming must be considered as life-saving in humanitarian responses; underlines the need to foster strong partnerships with, and provide funding to, local organisations and networks of women and girls with disabilities that are often best placed to respond to needs, but most impacted by funding cuts, and to strengthen their participation in decision-making processes; underlines the need for the Commission to apply an inclusive programme design approach and to strengthen disaggregated data collection using an intersectional approach, while also reporting the needs of persons with disabilities in its development and humanitarian policies and in its annual human rights report; |
Amendment 105
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 28 a. Reiterates that women with disabilities often face even bigger challenges and dangers in conflict-affected countries and war zones; highlights, therefore, the need to support and protect women with disabilities in the EU’s external policies; calls on the Commission to adopt a dedicated and inclusive approach to persons with disabilities in the design and implementation of its foreign, security, humanitarian and development policies, recognising that armed conflicts significantly increase the risk of physical disabilities and long-term psychological trauma, particularly among women and girls, and emphasising that the specific experiences and needs of women with disabilities are too often overlooked in post-conflict peacebuilding processes and negotiations; stresses the need to promote disability inclusion within the Women, Peace and Security Agenda; |
Amendment 106
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 30. Asks the Commission to include Parliament at a political level in the Disability Platform and to establish an interinstitutional structured dialogue to follow up on, monitor and evaluate the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Member States in all areas and in all policies, sharing best practice and providing recommendations; | 30. Asks the Commission to include Parliament at a political level in the Disability Platform and to establish an interinstitutional structured dialogue to follow up on, monitor and evaluate the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Member States in all areas and in all policies, sharing best practice and providing recommendations; stresses that such dialogue should ensure that organisations representing women and girls with disabilities are involved, with a view to guaranteeing that their needs and experiences form an integral part of the evaluation and formulation of public policies; |
Amendment 107
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 30 a. Stresses that the lack of sex-disaggregated data on the experiences of women with disabilities, particularly considering disparities across different regions, including outermost regions, hinders the development of both legislative and non-legislative measures that effectively address their specific needs; asks the Commission to ensure that monitoring and evaluation frameworks include data disaggregated also by type of disability in order to better inform policy; calls for the promotion of the development of such data and the sharing of best practices among regions and Member States; |
Amendment 108
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 30 b. Encourages the development of awareness-raising campaigns at national and EU level to combat harmful stereotypes and prejudices about disability that also affect women with disabilities, with an emphasis on empowering messages and representation, and greater visibility in the media; |
Amendment 109
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 30 c. Calls on the Member States to develop strategies to combat bullying and harassment, including in educational contexts and online, against children and young people, that include the ground of disability among the list of discrimination criteria; |
Amendment 110
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 30 d. Underlines that the collection of comparable and robust disaggregated equality data is indispensable to the documentation of discrimination and in tackling inequality in a holistic manner; calls on the Commission to develop common standards for recording individual forms of discrimination, including the ability to list more than one ground of discrimination concurrently, in order to capture intersectionality in the statistics, especially gender-specific data; |
ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT
Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur for opinion declares that she included in her opinion input on matters pertaining to the subject of the file that she received, in the preparation of the opinion, from the following interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from the following representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies:
| 1. Interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register |
| European Disability Forum |
| Forum Italiano della Disabilità |
| Garante regionale della Disabilità Regione Calabria |
| European Network for Indipendent Living (ENIL) |
| 2. Representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies |
The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur for opinion.
Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur for opinion declares that she has submitted to the natural persons concerned the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.
INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION
| Date adopted | 16.7.2025 |
| Result of final vote | + : 27 - : 3 0 : 3 |
| Members present for the final vote | Abir Al-Sahlani, Irmhild Boßdorf, Mélissa Camara, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión, Valérie Devaux, Elisabeth Dieringer, Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, Viktória Ferenc, Heléne Fritzon, Lina Gálvez, Chiara Gemma, Gabriella Gerzsenyi, Assita Kanko, Ewa Kopacz, Elena Kountoura, Judita Laššáková, Eleonora Meleti, Maria Noichl, Mirosława Nykiel, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Giusi Princi, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Benedetta Scuderi, Marko Vešligaj, Lucia Yar, Dainius Žalimas |
| Substitutes present for the final vote | Kathleen Funchion, Hanna Gedin, Elisabeth Grossmann, Sabrina Repp, Beatrice Timgren |
| Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote | Regina Doherty, Jutta Paulus |