COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European Disability Strategy 2010-2020:  A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe
Date: 2010-11-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: equal treatment, fundamental rights, integration of people with disabilities

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 15.11.2010 
COM(2010) 636 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

European Disability Strategy 2010-2020:  
A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe 

{SEC(2010) 1323} 
{SEC(2010) 1324} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

European Disability Strategy 2010-2020:  
A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

3. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Objectives and actions.................................................................................................. 4 

Areas for action ............................................................................................................ 5 

Implementation of the Strategy.................................................................................... 9 

Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 11 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

One  in  six  people  in  the  European  Union  (EU)  has  a  disability1  that  ranges  from  mild  to 
severe  making  around  80  million  who  are  often  prevented  from  taking  part  fully  in  society 
and  the  economy  because  of  environmental  and  attitudinal  barriers.  For  people  with 
disabilities the rate of poverty is 70 % higher than the average2 partly due to limited access to 
employment.  

Over  a  third  of  people  aged  over  75  have  disabilities  that  restrict  them  to  some  extent,  and 
over 20 % are considerably restricted3. Furthermore, these numbers are set to rise as the EU's 
population ages. 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  a  strong  mandate  to  improve  the  social  and  economic 
situation of people with disabilities.  

•  Article 1 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (the Charter) states that ‘Human 
dignity  is  inviolable.  It  must  be  respected  and  protected.’  Article  26  states  that  ‘the  EU 
recognises  and  respects  the  right  of  persons  with  disabilities  to  benefit  from  measures 
integration  and 
designed 
participation  in  the  life  of  the  community.’  In  addition,  Article  21  prohibits  any 
discrimination on the basis of disability. 

independence,  social  and  occupational 

to  ensure 

their 

•  The  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  EU  (TFEU)  requires  the  Union  to  combat 
discrimination  based  on  disability  when  defining  and  implementing  its  policies  and 
activities  (Article  10)  and  gives  it  the  power  to  adopt  legislation  to  address  such 
discrimination (Article 19).  

•  The  United  Nations  Convention  on  the  Rights  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  (the  UN 
Convention),  the  first  legally-binding  international  human  rights  instrument  to  which  the 
EU  and  its  Member  States  are  parties,  will  soon  apply  throughout  the  EU4.  The  UN 
Convention  requires  States  Parties  to  protect  and  safeguard  all  human  rights  and 
fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities. 

According to the UN Convention, people with disabilities include those who have long-term 
physical,  mental,  intellectual  or  sensory  impairments  which  in  interaction  with  various 
barriers  may  hinder  their  full  and  effective  participation  in  society  on  an  equal  basis  with 
others.  

The  Commission  will  work  together  with  the  Member  States  to  tackle  the  obstacles  to  a 
barrier-free  Europe,  taking  up  recent  European  Parliament  and  Council  resolutions5.  This 

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EU Labour Force Survey ad hoc module on employment of disabled people (LFS AHM), 2002. 
EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), 2004. 
LFS AHM and EU- SILC 2007. 
Agreed in 2007 and signed by all Member States and the EU; ratified by October 2010 by 16 Member 
States (BE, CZ, DK, DE, ES, FR, IT, LV, LT, HU, AT, PT, SI, SK, SE, UK) while the rest are in the 
process of doing so. The UN Convention will be binding on the EU and will form part of the EU legal 
order. 
Council Resolutions (SOC 375 of 2 June 2010) and 2008/C 75/01 and European Parliament Resolution 
B6-0194/2009, P6_TA(2009)0334. 

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Strategy provides a framework for action at European level, as well as with national action to 
address the diverse situation of men, women and children with disabilities. 

Full  economic  and  social  participation  of  people  with  disabilities  is  essential  if  the  EU’s 
Europe  2020  strategy6  is  to  succeed  in  creating  smart,  sustainable  and  inclusive  growth. 
Building  a  society  that  includes  everyone  also  brings  market  opportunities  and  fosters 
innovation. There is a strong business case for making services and products accessible to all, 
given the demand from a growing number of ageing consumers. For example, the EU market 
for assistive devices (with an estimated annual value of over € 30 billion 7) is still fragmented, 
and the devices are expensive. Policy and regulatory frameworks do not reflect the needs of 
people with disabilities adequately, neither do product and service development. Many goods 
and services, as well as much of the built environment, are still not accessible enough.  

The economic downturn has had an adverse impact on the situation of people with disabilities, 
making it all the more urgent to act. This Strategy aims to improve the lives of individuals, as 
well as bringing wider benefits for society and the economy without undue burden on industry 
and administrations.  

2. 

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS  

The overall aim of this Strategy is to empower people with disabilities so that they can enjoy 
their full rights, and benefit fully from participating in society and in the European economy, 
notably through the Single market. Achieving this and ensuring effective implementation of 
the UN Convention across the EU calls for consistency. This Strategy identifies actions at EU 
level  to  supplement  national  ones,  and  it  determines  the  mechanisms8  needed  to  implement 
the  UN  Convention  at  EU  level,  including  inside  the  EU  institutions.  It  also  identifies  the 
support needed for funding, research, awareness-raising, statistics and data collection. 

This  Strategy  focuses  on  eliminating  barriers9.  The  Commission  has  identified  eight  main 
areas  for  action:  Accessibility,  Participation,  Equality,  Employment,  Education  and 
training,  Social  protection,  Health,  and  External  Action.  For  each  area,  key  actions  are 
identified,  with  the  overarching  EU-level  objective  highlighted  in  a  box.  These  areas  were 
selected on the basis of their potential to contribute to the overall objectives of the Strategy 
and of the UN Convention, the related policy documents from EU institutions and the Council 
of  Europe,  as  well  as  the  results  of  the  EU  Disability  Action  Plan  2003-2010,  and  a 
consultation  of  the  Member  States,  stakeholders  and  the  general  public.  The  references  to 
national  actions  are  intended  to  supplement  action  at  EU  level,  rather  than  to  cover  all 
national obligations under the UN Convention. The Commission will also tackle the situation 
of  people  with  disabilities  through  the  Europe  2020  strategy,  its  flagship  initiatives  and  the 
relaunch of the single market. 

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COM(2010) 2020. 
Deloitte & Touche, Access to Assistive Technology in the EU, 2003, and BCC Research, 2008.  
Article 33 UN Convention. 
2006 Eurobarometer: 91 % find that more money should be spent on eliminating physical barriers for 
people with disabilities. 

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 2.1. 

Areas for action  

1 — Accessibility 

to 

the  physical  environment, 

'Accessibility'  is  defined  as  meaning  that  people  with  disabilities  have  access,  on  an  equal 
information  and 
basis  with  others, 
communications technologies and systems (ICT), and other facilities and services. There are 
still major barriers in all of these areas. For example, on average in the EU-27, only 5% of 
public  websites  comply  fully  with  web  accessibility  standards,  though  more  are  partially 
accessible.  Many  television  broadcasters  still  provide  few  subtitled  and  audio-described 
programmes10. 

transportation, 

Accessibility is a precondition for participation in society and in the economy, but the EU still 
has a long way to go in achieving this. The Commission proposes to use legislative and other 
instruments,  such  as  standardisation,  to  optimise  the  accessibility  of  the  built  environment, 
transport and ICT in line with the Digital Agenda and Innovation Union flagships. Based on 
smarter  regulation  principles,  it  will  explore  the  merits  of  adopting  regulatory  measures  to 
ensure accessibility of products and services, including measures to step up the use of public 
procurement (proven to be very effective in the US11). It will encourage the incorporation of 
accessibility and ‘design for all’ in educational curricula and training for relevant professions. 
It will also foster an EU-wide market for assistive technology. Following further consultations 
with Member States and other stakeholders, the Commission will consider whether to propose 
a ‘European Accessibility Act’ by 2012. This could include developing specific standards for 
particular  sectors  to  substantially  improve  the  proper  functioning  of  the  internal  market  for 
accessible products and services. 

EU action will support and supplement national activities for implementing accessibility and 
removing  existing  barriers,  and  improving  the  availability  and  choice  of  assistive 
technologies. 

Ensure accessibility to goods, services including public services and assistive devices for 
people with disabilities. 

2 — Participation 

There are still many obstacles preventing people with disabilities from fully exercising their 
fundamental rights - including their Union citizenship rights - and limiting their participation 
in society on an equal basis with others. Those rights include the right to free movement, to 
choose  where  and  how  to  live,  and  to  have  full  access  to  cultural,  recreational,  and  sports 
activities. For example a person with a recognised  disability  moving  to  another  EU  country 
can lose access to national benefits, such as free or reduced-cost public transport.  

The Commission will work to: 

–  overcome  the  obstacles  to  exercising  their  rights  as  individuals,  consumers,  students, 
economic  and  political  actors;  tackle  the  problems  related  to  intra-EU  mobility  and 
facilitate and promote the use of the European model of disability parking card; 

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EC (2007), SEC(2007) 1469, p. 7. 
Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act and Architectural Barriers Act. 

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–  promote  the  transition  from  institutional  to  community-based  care  by:  using  Structural 
Funds and the Rural Development Fund to support the development of community-based 
services  and  raising  awareness  of  the  situation  of  people  with  disabilities  living  in 
residential institutions, in particular children and elderly people;  

–  improve  the  accessibility  of  sports,  leisure,  cultural  and  recreational  organisations, 
activities,  events,  venues,  goods  and  services  including  audiovisual  ones;  promote 
participation in sports events and the organisation of disability-specific ones; explore ways 
of  facilitating  the  use  of  sign  language  and  Braille  in  dealing  with  the  EU  institutions; 
address  accessibility  to  voting  in  order  to  facilitate  the  exercise  of  EU  citizens'  electoral 
rights;  foster  the  cross-border  transfer  of  copyright  works  in  accessible  format;  promote 
use of the scope for exceptions provided by the Directive on copyright12. 

EU action will support national activities to: 

–  achieve  the  transition  from  institutional  to  community-based  care,  including  use  of 
Structural  Funds  and  the  Rural  Development  Fund  for  training  human  resources  and 
adapting social infrastructure, developing personal assistance funding schemes, promoting 
sound  working  conditions  for  professional  carers  and  support  for  families  and  informal 
carers; 

–  make  sports,  leisure,  cultural  and  recreational  organisations  and  activities  accessible,  and 

use the possibilities for exceptions in the Directive on copyright. 

Achieve full participation of people with disabilities in society by: 

- enabling them to enjoy all the benefits of EU citizenship; 

- removing administrative and attitudinal barriers to full and equal participation; 

- providing quality community-based services, including access to personal assistance. 

3 — Equality 

Over  half  of  all  Europeans  consider  discrimination  on  grounds  of  disability  or  age  to  be 
widespread  in  the  EU13.  As  required  by  Articles  1,  21  and  26  of  the  EU  Charter  and  by 
Articles 10 and 19 TFEU, the Commission will promote the equal treatment of people with 
disabilities through a two-pronged approach. This will involve using existing EU legislation 
to  provide  protection  from  discrimination,  and  implementing  an  active  policy  to  combat 
discrimination and promote equal opportunities in EU policies. The Commission will also pay 
attention  to  the  cumulative  impact  of  discrimination  that  people  with  disabilities  may 
experience on other grounds, such as nationality, age, race or ethnicity, sex, religion or belief, 
or sexual orientation. 

It will also ensure that Directive 2000/78/EC14 banning discrimination in employment is fully 
implemented; it will promote diversity and combat discrimination through awareness-raising 

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Directive 2001/29/EC. A Stakeholder Memorandum of Understanding signed on 14.9.2009. 
Special Eurobarometer 317. 
Council Directive 2000/78/EC (OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 16). 

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campaigns  at  EU  and  national  level,  and  support  the  work  of  EU-level  NGOs  active  in  the 
area.  

EU action will support and supplement national policies and programmes to promote equality, 
for instance by promoting the conformity of Member State legislation on legal capacity with 
the UN Convention.  

Eradicate discrimination on grounds of disability in the EU. 

4 — Employment 

Quality jobs ensure economic independence, foster personal achievement, and offer the best 
protection  against  poverty.  However,  the  rate  of  employment  for  people  with  disabilities  is 
only around 50%15. To achieve the EU’s growth targets, more people with disabilities need to 
be  in  paid  employment  on  the  open  labour  market.  The  Commission  will  exploit  the  full 
potential  of  the  Europe  2020  Strategy  and  its  Agenda  for  new  skills  and  jobs  by  providing 
Member States with analysis, political guidance, information exchange and other support. It 
will  improve  knowledge  of  the  employment  situation  of  women  and  men  with  disabilities, 
identify challenges and propose remedies. It will pay particular attention to young people with 
disabilities in their transition from education to employment. It will address intra-job mobility 
on  the  open  labour  market  and  in  sheltered  workshops,  through  information  exchange  and 
mutual learning. It will also address the issue of self employment and quality jobs, including 
aspects  such  as  working  conditions  and  career  advancement,  with  the  involvement  of  the 
social partners. The Commission will step up its support for voluntary initiatives that promote 
diversity management at the workplace, such as diversity charters signed by employers and a 
Social Business Initiative.  

EU action will support and supplement national efforts to: analyse the labour market situation 
of  people  with  disabilities;  fight  those  disability  benefit  cultures  and  traps  that  discourage 
them from entering the labour market; help their integration in the labour market making use 
of the European Social Fund (ESF); develop active labour market policies; make workplaces 
more  accessible;  develop  services  for  job  placement,  support  structures  and  on-the-job 
training; promote use of the General Block Exemption Regulation16 which allows the granting 
of state aid without prior notification to the Commission.  

Enable many more people with disabilities to earn their living on the open labour market. 

5 — Education and training 

In  the  16-19  age  group  the  rate  of  non-participation  in  education  is  37 %  for  considerably 
restricted  people,  and  25 %  for  those  restricted  to  some  extent,  against  17 %  for  those  not 
restricted17.  Access  to  mainstream  education  for  children  with  severe  disabilities  is  difficult 
and  sometimes  segregated.  People  with  disabilities,  in  particular  children,  need  to  be 
integrated  appropriately  into  the  general  education  system  and  provided  with  individual 
support in the best interest of the child. With full respect for the responsibility of the Member 

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LFS AHM 2002. 
Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 (OJ L 214, 9.8.2008, p. 3). 
LFS AHM 2002. 

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States for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems, the Commission 
will support the goal of inclusive, quality education and training under the Youth on the Move 
initiative. It will increase knowledge on levels of education and opportunities for people with 
disabilities, and increase their mobility by  facilitating participation in the Lifelong Learning 
Programme. 

EU  action  will  support  national  efforts  through  ET  2020,  the  strategic  framework  for 
European cooperation in education and training18, to remove legal and organisational barriers 
for people with disabilities to general education and lifelong learning systems; provide timely 
support for inclusive education and personalised learning, and early identification of special 
needs;  provide  adequate  training  and  support  for  professionals  working  at  all  levels  of 
education and report on participation rates and outcomes. 

Promote inclusive education and lifelong learning for pupils and students with disabilities. 

6 –Social protection 

Lower participation in general education and in the labour market lead to income inequalities 
and  poverty  for  people  with  disabilities,  as  well  as  to  social  exclusion  and  isolation.  They 
need to be able to benefit from social protection systems and poverty reduction programmes, 
disability-related  assistance,  public  housing  programmes  and  other  enabling  services,  and 
retirement  and  benefit  programmes.  The  Commission  will  pay  attention  to  these  issues 
through the European Platform against Poverty. This will include assessing the adequacy and 
sustainability of social protection systems and support through the ESF. In full respect of the 
competence of the Member States, the EU will support national measures to ensure the quality 
and  sustainability  of  social  protection  systems  for  people  with  disabilities,  notably  through 
policy exchange and mutual learning. 

Promote decent living conditions for people with disabilities. 

7 — Health 

People with disabilities may have limited access to health services, including routine medical 
treatments,  leading  to  health  inequalities  unrelated  to  their  disabilities.  They  are  entitled  to 
equal  access  to  healthcare,  including  preventive  healthcare,  and  specific  affordable  quality 
health and rehabilitation services which take their needs into account, including gender-based 
needs. This is mainly the task of the Member States, which are responsible for organising and 
delivering  health  services  and  medical  care.  The  Commission  will  support  policy 
developments  for  equal  access  to  healthcare,  including  quality  health  and  rehabilitation 
services  designed  for  people  with  disabilities.  It  will  pay  specific  attention  to  people  with 
disabilities  when  implementing  policies  to  tackle  health  inequalities;  promote  action  in  the 
field of health and safety at work to reduce risks of disabilities developing during working life 
and  to  improve  the  reintegration  of  workers  with  disabilities19;  and  work  to  prevent  those 
risks. 

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Council conclusions of 12 May 2009 on ET 2020 (OJ C 119, 28.5.2009, p. 2). 
EU Strategy on Health and Safety at Work 2007-2012 - COM(2007) 62. 

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EU  action  will  support  national  measures  to  deliver  accessible,  non-discriminatory  health 
services and facilities; promote awareness of disabilities in medical schools and in curricula 
for healthcare professionals; provide adequate rehabilitation services; promote mental health 
services and the development of early intervention and needs assessment services. 

Foster equal access to health services and related facilities for people with disabilities. 

8 — External action 

The EU and the Member States should promote the rights of people with disabilities in their 
external  action,  including  EU  enlargement,  neighbourhood  and  development  programmes. 
The  Commission  will  work  where  appropriate  within  a  broader  framework  of  non 
discrimination to highlight disability as a human rights issue in the EU’s external action; raise 
awareness  of  the  UN  Convention  and  the  needs  of  people  with  disabilities,  including 
accessibility,  in  the  area  of  emergency  and  humanitarian  aid;  consolidate  the  network  of 
disability correspondents, increasing awareness of disability issues in EU delegations; ensure 
that  candidate  and  potential  candidate  countries  make  progress  in  promoting  the  rights  of 
people with disabilities and ensure that the financial instruments for pre-accession assistance 
are used to improve their situation. 

EU  action  will  support  and  complement  national  initiatives  to  address  disability  issues  in 
dialogues  with  non-member  countries,  and  where  appropriate  include  disability  and  the 
implementation  of  the  UN  Convention  taking  into  account  the  Accra  commitments  on  aid-
effectiveness.  It  will  foster  agreement  and  commitment  on  disability  issues  in  international 
fora (UN, Council of Europe, OECD). 

Promote the rights of people with disabilities within the EU external action. 

2.2. 

Implementation of the Strategy 

This Strategy requires a joint and renewed commitment of the EU institutions and all Member 
States. The actions in the main areas above need to be underpinned by the following general 
instruments: 

1 — Awareness-raising 

The  Commission  will  work  to  ensure  that  people  with  disabilities  are  aware  of  their  rights, 
paying special attention to accessibility of materials and information channels. It will promote 
awareness of ‘design for all’ approaches to products, services and environments.  

EU  action  will  support  and  supplement  national  public  awareness  campaigns  on  the 
capabilities  and  contributions  of  people  with  disabilities  and  promote  exchange  of  good 
practices in the Disability High Level Group (DHLG).  

Raise society’s awareness of disability issues and foster greater knowledge among people 
with disabilities of their rights and how to exercise them. 

2 — Financial support 

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The Commission will work to ensure that EU programmes in policy areas relevant to people 
with disabilities offer funding possibilities, for example in research programmes. The cost of 
measures to enable people with disabilities to take part in EU programmes should be eligible 
for  reimbursement.  EU  funding  instruments,  particularly  the  Structural  Funds,  need  to  be 
implemented in an accessible and non-discriminatory way.  

EU action will support and supplement national efforts to improve accessibility and combat 
discrimination through mainstream funding, proper application of Article 16 of the Structural 
Funds  General  Regulation20,  and  by  maximising  requirements  regarding  accessibility  in 
public  procurement.  All  measures  should  be  implemented  in  accordance  with  European 
competition law, in particular State aid rules. 

Optimise  use  of  EU  funding  instruments  for  accessibility  and  non-discrimination  and 
increase visibility of disability-relevant funding possibilities in post-2013 programmes. 

3 — Statistics and data collection and monitoring 

The  Commission  will  work  to  streamline  information  on  disability  collected  through  EU 
social surveys (EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, Labour Force Survey ad hoc 
module, European Health Interview Survey), develop a specific survey on barriers for social 
integration  of  disabled  people  and  present  a  set  of  indicators  to  monitor  their  situation  with 
reference to key Europe 2020 targets (education, employment and poverty reduction). The EU 
Fundamental Rights Agency is requested to contribute to this task, within the framework of its 
mandate, by data collection, research and analysis.  

The  Commission  will  also  establish  a  web-based  tool  giving  an  overview  of  the  practical 
measures and legislation used to implement the UN Convention. 

EU  action  will  support  and  supplement  Member  States’  efforts  to  collect  statistics  and  data 
that reflect the barriers preventing people with disabilities from exercising their rights.  

Supplement the collection of periodic disability-related statistics with a view to monitoring 
the situation of persons with disabilities. 

4 — Mechanisms required by the UN Convention 

The  governance  framework  required  under  Article  33  of  the  UN  Convention  (focal  points, 
coordination mechanism, independent mechanism and involvement of people with disabilities 
and their organisations) needs to be addressed on two levels: vis-à-vis the Member States in a 
wide  range  of  EU  policies,  and  within  EU  institutions.  At  EU  level,  mechanisms  for 
coordination  based  on  existing  facilities  will  be  established  both  between  the  Commission 
services  and  the  EU  institutions,  and  between  the  EU  and  the  Member  States.  The 
implementation of this Strategy and of the UN Convention will be regularly discussed at the 
DHLG  with  representatives  of  the  Member  States  and  their  national  focal  points,  the 
Commission, disabled people and their organisations and other stakeholders. It will continue 
to provide progress reports for informal ministerial meetings. 

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Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 210, 31.7.2006, p. 25). 

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Also,  a  monitoring  framework  including  one  or  more  independent  mechanisms  will  be 
established to promote, protect and monitor implementation of the UN Convention. After the 
UN Convention is concluded and after considering the possible role of a number of existing 
EU  bodies  and  institutions,  the  Commission  will  propose  a  governance  framework  without 
undue administrative burden to facilitate implementation of the UN Convention in Europe. 

By the end of 2013, the Commission will report on progress achieved through this Strategy, 
covering  implementation  of  actions,  national  progress  and  the  EU  report  to  the  UN 
Committee  on  the  Rights  of  Persons  with  Disabilities21.  The  Commission  will  use  statistics 
and data collection to illustrate changes in disparities between people with disabilities and the 
population as a whole, and to establish disability-related indicators linked to the Europe 2020 
targets for education, employment and poverty reduction. This will provide an opportunity to 
revise the Strategy and the actions. A further report is scheduled for 2016. 

3. 

CONCLUSION 

This Strategy is intended to harness the combined potential of the EU Charter of Fundamental 
Rights, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and the UN Convention, and to 
make  full  use  of  Europe  2020  and  its  instruments.  It  sets  in  motion  a  process  to  empower 
people  with  disabilities,  so  that  they  can  participate  fully  in  society  on  an  equal  basis  with 
others. As Europe’s population ages, these actions will have a tangible impact on the quality 
of life of an increasingly large proportion of its people. The EU institutions and the Member 
States are called upon to work together under this Strategy to build a barrier-free Europe for 
all. 

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Articles 35 and 36 UN Convention. 

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