What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

Change 1

Removed:B. whereas the strategy is the policy framework for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD); whereas the strategy is also part of the implementation of the EPSR, in particular principle 17 on the inclusion of persons with disabilities;

Added:B. whereas the strategy contained a number of actions and flagship initiatives for the period up until 2024, the majority of which have been completed; whereas the current strategy runs until 2030 and requires new and ambitious flagship initiatives and concrete actions to continue delivering on the EU’s commitments to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities;

Removed: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;

Added:C. whereas in 2023, according to Eurostat estimates, 27 % of the EU’s population over the age of 16 had some form of disability, amounting to 101 million people or one in four adults in the EU;

Removed:D. whereas the employment rate of young persons with disabilities in the EU is particularly low, at only 47.4 %; whereas there is a 21.5 percentage point gap between the employment rates of young people with and without disabilities;

Added:D. whereas the strategy forms the policy framework for the implementation of the UNCRPD; whereas the strategy is also part of the implementation of the EPSR, in particular principle 17 on the inclusion of persons with disabilities;

Removed: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;

Added:E. whereas the UNCRPD recognises the right of persons with disabilities to work on an equal basis with others, choose freely, be accepted and work in an open, inclusive and accessible work environment;

Removed: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;

Added:F. whereas persons with disabilities in all their diversity are entitled to enjoy their fundamental rights on an equal basis with others; whereas the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in all areas of life and society is crucial for the enjoyment of their fundamental rights;

Removed:G. whereas the EU and its Member States share responsibility in areas such as transport and the single market, while in areas such as health, education, and culture, the EU mainly supports the actions of the Member States; whereas the Member States are responsible for designing their own disability policies in line with the UNCRPD and EU rules;

Added:G. whereas, as recognised in the Commission communication on the Union of Skills, persons with disabilities continue to face persistent challenges accessing quality jobs and training, with existing programmes often falling short in terms of adequately addressing their needs and lack sufficient flexibility and practical measures to ensure accessibility in all sectors of employment; whereas persons with disabilities or chronic diseases can require individualised support and workplace adaptation;

Added:H. whereas persons with disabilities’ equal access to employment is often hindered by barriers in both the workplace and the built environment, limiting the opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in the open labour market;

Added:I. 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 counterparts;

Added:J. whereas every child with a disability has the right to education on equal terms with other children in their community; whereas to achieve this, it is vital that Member States ensure tailored assistance for the individual needs of children with disabilities in line with Article 24 of the UNCRPD and the European Child Guarantee and, importantly, accessible digital tools used in education; whereas children with disabilities continue to face many barriers due to a lack of qualified teachers and staff, reasonable accommodations, accessible school buildings and curricula that take into account the particular needs of learners with disabilities;

Added:K. whereas persons with disabilities face barriers to accessing traineeships, including lack of reasonable accommodations, inaccessible physical and digital environments, and the risk of losing disability allowances; whereas tailored support and inclusive traineeships are crucial for their transition to quality employment;

Added:L. whereas educational materials are often not fully accessible to persons with disabilities, such as persons who are blind or visually impaired; whereas the lack of accessible learning content is a key driver of educational disadvantage and contributes to persistent inequalities in access to further education, training, and employment opportunities;

Added:M. whereas the digital transformation should benefit all citizens equally; whereas previous studies have demonstrated that the proportion of individuals without access to a computer decreases significantly with higher levels of education; whereas similar patterns are observed regarding digital skills and internet connectivity; whereas statistics for the EU-27 in 2022 indicate that only 81.2 % of persons with disabilities used the internet in the past 12 months, compared to 93.4 % of persons without disabilities, highlighting a persistent digital divide that must be addressed to ensure full inclusion and equal participation in the digital society;

Added:N. whereas only 51.3 % of active, working-age persons with disabilities in the EU are in paid employment, significantly lower than the 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; whereas the employment rate of young persons and women with disabilities in the EU is particularly low, at only 47.4 % and 49 % respectively; whereas there is a 21.5 percentage point gap between the employment rates of young people with and without disabilities;

Added:O. whereas in 2023, 28.84 % of persons with disabilities lived in or were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared to 18.04 % of persons without disabilities; whereas persons with disabilities face a disproportionate risk of homelessness as well as additional physical, financial and informational barriers to accessing affordable and sustainable housing of adequate quality;

Added:P. whereas persons with disabilities experience significantly higher rates of mental distress compared to adults without disabilities; whereas targeted, inclusive interventions, programmes and policies that facilitate access to timely mental health screening, appropriate care, and comprehensive support services, including inclusive education, supported employment and quality jobs, social participation, and protection against discrimination and violence, are essential to effectively reduce mental distress and promote overall well-being among persons with disabilities;

Added:Q. whereas persons with non-visible disabilities, including neurodevelopmental and psychological disorders, are often excluded from eligibility criteria and support mechanisms due to a lack of visible impairments;

Added:R. whereas participation in cultural, educational and sporting life is a fundamental right and an essential element of social inclusion, personal development and well-being for persons with disabilities;

Added:S. whereas in the EU-27 in 2022, only around 20 % of persons with disabilities aged 25 to 64 participated in education and training over the previous 12 months, compared to 26.7 % of persons without disabilities, revealing a persistent gap in access to lifelong learning; whereas this gap hinders the development of skills and employability among persons with disabilities and undermines the EU’s ambition, set out in the EPSR Action Plan, to ensure that at least 60 % of all adults participate in training each year by 2030;

Added:T. whereas persons with disabilities have higher unmet medical needs, poorer self-reported health status, and higher mortality than persons without disabilities; whereas persons with disabilities continue to face systemic and structural barriers in access to universal, affordable healthcare, such as discriminatory practices, inaccessible services, and exclusion from preventive, reactive, sexual and reproductive, and mental healthcare; whereas persons with disabilities have the right to reach the highest possible attainable state of health without discrimination;

Added:U. whereas an estimated 1.4 million children and adults with disabilities under the age of 65 are residing in segregated institutions and whereas 13 EU Member States have more persons with disabilities in institutions now than they did 10 years ago;

Added:V. whereas women with disabilities constitute 29.2 % of the female population in the EU; whereas women are disproportionately impacted by certain disabling conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis; whereas women’s symptoms are often normalised or dismissed, leading to delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment; whereas women with disabilities 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, including domestic violence and forms of violence specific to disability, 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 sterilisation and forced abortion; whereas 34 % of women with health problems or disabilities have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by a partner at some point in their lifetime; 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 reasonable accommodations;

Added:W. whereas research has shown that specific vulnerable groups face substantially increased risks of sexual violence; whereas according to a growing number of large-scale studies, women with disabilities are at significantly higher risk of experiencing sexual violence than women without disabilities; whereas such violence leads to severe health consequences, psychological trauma, and social and economic exclusion, and constitutes a grave violation of women’s rights;

Added:X. whereas only 20 % of women with disabilities in the EU work full time while 48 % of women without disabilities work full time, creating a substantial employment disparity for women with disabilities in the EU;

Added:Y. whereas, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, legal provisions in some Member States strip persons with disabilities of their voting rights;

Added:Z. whereas older persons with disabilities face specific challenges resulting from the intersectional discrimination linked to both age and disability, highlighting the interconnection of ageism and ableism and the need for targeted policies to address their unique situations;

Added:AA. whereas the situation of persons with disabilities is shaped by intersectional factors, including gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, ethnicity, religion or belief, national origin and migration status, which can amplify discrimination and exclusion and must be explicitly addressed in all policies;

Added:AB. whereas the protection and promotion of the fundamental rights of persons with disabilities must be ensured across the Union; whereas the EU and its Member States share responsibility in areas such as employment, transport and the single market, while in areas such as health, social protection, education and culture, the EU mainly supports the actions of the Member States; whereas the Member States are responsible for designing their own disability policies in line with their obligations under the UNCRPD and EU rules; whereas the UNCRPD is the first human rights convention to which the EU itself has become a party and whereas the EU is also bound by its provisions;

Added:AC. whereas the announcement of the intention to withdraw the proposal for a horizontal anti-discrimination directive in the Commission’s 2025 work programme was a matter of great concern; whereas this withdrawal would have been a significant setback for the ‘Union of Equality’;

Added:AD. whereas the transposition deadline for the European Accessibility Act was on 28 June 2022; whereas, however, there are open proceedings against all Member States either for late transposition or for omitting to transpose the directive despite post-deadline warnings, or for partial or incorrect transposition; whereas the Commission decided to refer Member States to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to incorporate the European Accessibility Act into national law in July 2024; whereas this corroborates a need for coordinated action across the Commission to better monitor the implementation of existing laws and policies in the Member States and their impact on the lives of persons with disabilities;

Added:AE. whereas in the Council’s recommendation of 2021for a European Child Guarantee , Member States are recommended to adapt their national strategies to guarantee access to key services for children in need, particularly taking into account children with disabilities;

Added:AF. whereas the European Court of Auditors assessed in a special report published in October 2023 whether the Commission had taken effective action to support persons with disabilities, and concluded that the ‘practical impact of EU action was limited’ and that ‘the key indicators had not significantly improved’;

Added:AG. whereas the majority of assistive products and prototype equipment falls outside the scope of the Medical Devices Regulation, creating legal uncertainty and safety risks; whereas a dedicated framework would bridge the regulatory gap without overburdening the production of low-risk aids;

Added:AH. whereas, following the adoption of Directive (EU) 2024/2841establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking card for persons with disabilities, the Member States have until 2028 to ensure the full operational implementation of the European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities;

Assessment of the implementation of the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 and main challenges faced by persons with disabilities

Change 2

Changed: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; calls on the Commission to put forward a common EU-wide definition of ‘disability’ in line with the UNCRPD, to help ensure that all EU citizens with all kinds of disabilities are granted equal rights;

Change 3

Removed:2. Notes that the Commission has completed six out of seven flagship initiatives;

Added:2. Notes that the Commission has completed six out of seven flagship initiatives (AccessibleEU, the European Disability Card, Guidance on independent living and inclusion in the community, the Disability Employment Package, the Disability Platform, renewed Commission human resources strategy); calls on the Commission to come forward with new flagship initiative proposals for the remainder of the strategy’s tenure;

Removed: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;

Added:3. Underlines that across Europe, persons with disabilities – particularly women and girls with disabilities and persons with high support needs – still face considerable barriers when it comes to respect for their fundamental rights, acknowledgement of their disabilities throughout the EU, equal and inclusive access to justice, public and political life, healthcare and care, transport and digital services and infrastructure, freedom of movement, independent living and accessible housing, education, training and skills development, employment, social inclusion and adequate standards of living, and recognises that intersectional discrimination leads to additional barriers; highlights that many persons with disabilities 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 European strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030;

Removed: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;

Added:4. Recognises the importance of community-based services for persons with intellectual disabilities, especially their role in supporting their right to be included and live independently; underlines the need for sufficient investment in such services;

Removed: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;

Added:5. Underlines that, while employment leads to multiple positive outcomes for persons with disabilities, such as higher incomes, improved quality of life and increased social inclusion, participation in the open labour market remains a major challenge, and persons with disabilities – particularly those with high support needs – therefore continue to face a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion; recognises that women with disabilities face additional challenges and barriers to entering and remaining in the labour market;

Removed: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;

Added:6. Notes that Directive (EU) 2024/2841 on the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities does not guarantee the mutual recognition of disability status but only recognises that card holders enjoy the same access to its benefits as national card holders for a period of no longer than three months, except in the case of participation in an EU mobility programme in another Member State; underlines also that it does not ensure the portability of social security benefits and services for persons with disabilities among Member States, thus failing to fully guarantee the right to freedom of movement on equal terms with others;

Removed: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;

Added:7. Underlines that it remains necessary to continue efforts to address the remaining gaps relating to the free movement of persons with disabilities and the mutual recognition of disability rights across the EU, in particular faster disability assessment, assistance and protection when moving from one Member State to another; recalls the Commission’s obligation to assess such gaps under Article 20.3 of Directive (EU) 2024/2841 and encourages it to deliver the assessment as soon as possible;

Removed:8. Calls on the Commission to undertake a comprehensive mid-term evaluation of the strategy, including an impact assessment of the implemented flagship initiatives;

Added:8. 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 facilitate access to jobs in an open labour market, including support for employers and persons with disabilities, and the promotion of work-based learning and apprenticeships together with the implementation of reasonable accommodation measures in the workplace; calls on the Commission and the Member States to address the issue of disproportional under-representation of persons with disabilities in the labour market by introducing specific measures, including adequate incentives and support measures for employers and companies that recruit persons with disabilities, and enforceable public and private sector workplace quotas for persons with disabilities, taking into account the capacity of micro and small companies and in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity; stresses the need to promote the employment of persons with disabilities also within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and through self-employment, by means of targeted incentives and training paths tailored to the needs of persons with disabilities;

Added:9. Is deeply concerned by the ample evidence that reveals the continuing plight of persons with disabilities who are often unable to fully avail themselves of their EU rights; is concerned that, despite progress at policy level, persons with disabilities are left behind in many aspects, continue to experience exclusion in various domains of life and are often deprived of equal access to everyday freedoms and mobility enjoyed by other EU citizens, such as their right to full political participation, including due to the persistence of discriminatory legal provisions in Member States that still prevent them from voting or engaging fully in political life and limit the accessibility of electoral processes, education and housing, which are key drivers of social and professional integration; recognises that intersectional discrimination leads to additional barriers in contravention of the principles enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the UNCRPD; stresses that an updated EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities must tackle all the obstacles they face;

Added:10. Is concerned that some groups of persons with disabilities are at greater risk of being victims of multiple and intersectional discrimination and violence; calls on the Commission and the Member States to address the specific challenges, rights and needs of these persons to ensure their fundamental rights are respected, and to guarantee their access to victim support services, protection measures and mechanisms for reporting violence;

Added:11. Considers that some of the policy areas covered in the strategy have received insufficient attention, such as equal access to social protection, healthcare and care services, transport, education, digital accessibility, 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 under the strategy; stresses that policies should not exclusively focus on labour market activation; calls on the Commission to urgently develop new flagship initiatives addressing neglected areas such as accessible housing, healthcare, education, in-work poverty and digital services, and to implement robust measures to combat multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the correct transposition and implementation of both existing and future EU legislation that affects the rights of persons with disabilities, and to ensure that Member States fully comply with these obligations;

Added:12. Calls on the Commission to undertake a comprehensive mid-term evaluation of the strategy, including a detailed report of the flagship initiatives implemented in each Member State and a comprehensive review of all Union legislation, policies and practices to ensure their compatibility with the UNCRPD and to establish mechanisms to ensure that all new legislative and policy proposals adhere to the Convention, in line with its UNCRPD obligations; stresses that the effective implementation of disability rights depends on the systematic and meaningful consultation of organisations representing persons with disabilities at all stages of policymaking at EU and national level, and calls for improved frameworks to guarantee this participation; underlines the urgent need for disaggregated data collection by gender, age, type of disability, and rural or urban location, to better assess progress and tailor policies that address the specific needs of persons with disabilities across different groups;

Added:13. Calls on the Commission to include clear and measurable targets and indicators in the updated strategy in order to reinforce the monitoring of its implementation by the Member States;