Debate: The protection of persons with disabilities through petitions: lessons learnt
Date: MONDAY, 4 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Alex Agius Saliba
Country: Malta
Language: EN

First of all, I would like to thank my colleagues and shadows for their important input in this report. There was a high degree of cooperation across all the political groups within the European Parliament.  I would also like to thank Inclusion Europe and also Autism Europe for providing us with an easy—to—read part of my report in order to make this report accessible to all persons with disabilities. Heartfelt thanks to you. Approximately, there are 87 million persons with disabilities throughout our Union. Their situation may vary considerably from one Member State to another, but they are generally more likely to be exposed to social exclusion, more likely to be exposed to poverty, and it is more likely they are exposed to unemployment. Despite all our common agreed values and also our treaties, people with disabilities continue to face multiple obstacles and discrimination, in their everyday lives, which prevent them from basically enjoying their most fundamental freedoms and rights as laid down in applicable EU law and also in UN legislative frameworks.  One of these is the mutual recognition of disability status between EU Member States, the lack of which tremendously hinders freedom of movement within the EU for persons with disabilities. Moreover, access to public transport, physical, sensory and cognitive accessibility of the built environment, goods, services and programmes, use of sign languages and all other means and types of accessible communication and information, financing of – and equal access to – education and also vocational training, access to the labour market, access to personal assistance schemes, community inclusion, equality in opportunity and treatment in employment and also in other occupations. Let me stress that here the Committee on Petitions plays a very crucial role as a bridge between the EU citizens, Parliament and other EU institutions, and also has an important instrument for getting our citizens involved in a more active way in participatory democracy. The right to petition Parliament is one of the most fundamental rights of every EU citizen.  However, persons with disabilities are still facing enormous obstacles in exercising this right to petition. That is why it is important for the European Parliament to first of all ensure that its website is accessible for persons with disabilities, in line with the ‘leading by example’ policy. Moreover, it should allow the tabling of petitions in both international and national sign languages used in the EU, thus making the right to petition more accessible for sign language users. Over the years, the Committee on Petitions has received many important petitions on the protection of persons with disabilities in the EU. Citizens regularly get in touch to express their concerns on accessibility, social protection and also employment rights. My report highlights these examined petitions, in which our citizens have raised issues on accessibility and social protection, mutual recognition of disability status in the Member States, as well as inclusive education and employment rights.  In the received petitions, the petitioners raise issues of obstacles that persons with disabilities face in various fields, such as access to public transport, the built environment, use of sign languages, financing of – and access to – education and also vocational training. This is a strong message for Europe to act. The report is also very timely, taking into account the recent launch of the New Disability Strategy 2021—2030 by the European Commission. The new strategy aims to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in a barrier—free Europe and to protect the social and also economic inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in our society, free from discrimination, in full respect of their rights and on an equal basis with all other citizens.  It is also important to mention the Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, who played a significant instrumental role in establishing this new strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities. Currently there is still no mutual recognition of disability status between EU Member States, which is still creating an obstacle for persons with disabilities when moving from one Member State to another to work, for studies or for any other reason.  The Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is basically proposing an EU—wide disability card. The European Disability Card, I must say, will be a very important instrument to help persons with disabilities to exercise their right of freedom of movement, and therefore I have stressed in my report that the European Disability Card should become mandatory in each and every Member State. The report also focuses on a number of barriers that children with disabilities encounter when it comes to inclusive education, especially children with intellectual disabilities, where such children with autism or children with hearing loss are still facing many obstacles when it comes to fulfilling their educational path.  I believe that the European Commission should continue to strengthen the role of the Child Guarantee in ensuring inclusion of children with disabilities and also that Member States should increase their educational systems’ capacity to provide high—quality, inclusive education for all learners. Last but not least, I stress in my report also the important role of focal points in the EU, in all institutions, in all agencies, including in Parliament and in the Council, with the central focal point being within the Commission’s Secretariat—General, which would be supported by an appropriate interinstitutional mechanism. The report highlights the importance of prioritising the appointment of persons with disabilities to the role of disability coordinators.