BETA


2015/2684(RSP) Resolution on the List of issues adopted by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to the initial report of the European Union

Progress: Procedure completed

Legal Basis:
RoP 132-p2

Events

2015/09/24
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2015/06/22
   EC - Follow-up document
Details

The Commission presents a document containing the replies of the European Union to the questions of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities concerning the EU’s report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which entered into force in 2011. The Commission prepared the replies in liaison with other EU institutions, bodies and agencies.

The List of Issues and the Commission’s responses include action taken to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities in the EU as well as a detailed discussion of specific rights such as equality and non-discrimination, accessibility, and health and employment.

In this connection, the Commission noted that the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 lays down actions to implement the Convention at EU level.

The Commission implements some actions directly; others require the agreement of Parliament and Council, while for others implementation is shared with Member States.

The Commission regularly discusses implementation of the Convention at EU and Member State level in the High-level Group on Disability and the Work Forum. The Commission prepares an annual report of the High-level Group with input from Member States. The Work Forum brings together focal points, coordination and monitoring mechanisms, and civil society organisations, from the EU and its Member States.

In its Resolution of 20 May 2015 on the List of Issues, the European Parliament called on the Commission, inter alia , to present an ambitious proposal for a European Accessibility Act, with the full involvement of persons with disabilities.

Other salient issues highlighted included:

Equal treatment : the Commission also noted that in 2008, it proposed an Equal Treatment Directive to extend the existing EU anti-discrimination legal framework beyond employment to social protection, healthcare, education and access to goods and services available to the public, including housing. The proposal is still being considered by Council. Health : in its proposed 2008 Directive, the Commission proposed to extend protection from discrimination in the provision of health care services on different grounds, including disability. In 2015, with financial support from Parliament, the Commission will launch a pilot project to develop strategies to address the health needs of vulnerable groups. A particular focus will be on those living in geographically and socially isolated communities, including the elderly and persons with disabilities. 112 emergency number : in the Parliament’s resolution the need to highlight the Europe-wide emergency number 112 was stressed. The document noted that in 2015, 22 Member States reported the implementation of an alternative access to 112. 18 Member States reported the take-up of SMS to 112; while three Member States reported the deployment of similar alternative means to contact emergency services. Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies : the document recalled that the Commission’s mandate in humanitarian aid includes the provision of needs-based assistance in particular to the most vulnerable, which often includes persons with disabilities; the needs of persons with disabilities are expected to be mainstreamed in operations within all sectors of humanitarian aid. The Commission is working on humanitarian guidelines on shelter and settlements, where the needs of persons with disabilities will be considered. In 2015, the Commission and the Latvian Presidency of the Council organised a conference to raise awareness of disability among those responsible for response to emergency situations.

Documents
2015/05/20
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2015/05/20
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the List of Issues adopted by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to the initial report of the European Union.

The resolution was tabled by the S&D, ECR, EFD, Greens/EFA, ALDE, GUE/NGL, and EPP groups.

Noting that the EU had formally ratified the CRPD, and that Parliament formed part of the EU Framework to monitor the implementation of the CRPD, Members assured the CRPD Committee that the European Parliament would respond to questions directly addressed to it , while also urging the Commission to take Parliament’s views into account when formulating its own answers to the committee. They recalled that the Commission had been designated to answer the List of Issues adopted by the CRPD Committee.

Review process : recalling that several civil society organisations had submitted information to the CRPD Committee for the List of Issues, Parliament urged the Commission to further develop a structured dialogue and to consult and cooperate with organisations representing persons with disabilities as part of the review process, including in formulating an answer to the CRPD Committee on its List of Issues, and in developing, implementing and monitoring EU policies in this area.

List of Issues : Members went on to note Parliament’s actions in respect of the List of Issues raised in relation to the initial report of the EU as part of the CRPD review, and these include:

highlighting the need for accessibility in respect of universal service and the 112 emergency number; setting up an inter-committee coordination working group arranging awareness-raising events open to staff and MEPs, including the organisation of sign language courses as part of professional training.

Legislation: Parliament highlighted the following:

an EU anti-discrimination directive was proposed by the Commission in 2008, but it remained blocked in the Council. Members deplored the lack of progress within the Council on this proposal and urged Member States to work towards the adoption of a common position without any further delay. This directive would seek to protect people with disabilities against discrimination in social protection, health care and rehabilitation, education and access to and supply of goods and services, such as housing, transport and insurance; the Commission was asked to present an ambitious proposal for a European Accessibility Act, which should include a full range of policy areas with regard to the accessibility of goods and services for all EU citizens, fostering the independent living and full inclusion of people with disabilities and establishing an effective and independent monitoring and enforcement mechanism.

In addition:

the Council was urged to accelerate its work on the proposal for a directive on the accessibility of public sector bodies’ websites , with a view to reaching a common position; Member States must translate into national law the obligations derived from Article 12 of the CRPD, most specifically to ease any restrictions on rights of disabled people to cast their vote and to be elected.

Lastly, Parliament considered it regrettable that the Code of Conduct was adopted by the Commission and the Council without the involvement of Parliament, with the result that Parliament had limited competences with regard to the monitoring of the CRPD.

Documents
2015/05/20
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2015/05/19
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2015/05/18
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents

Documents

Activities

Votes

B8-0460/2015 - Am 1 #

2015/05/20 Outcome: +: 566, -: 84, 0: 26
DE IT ES FR RO BE PT SE HU EL CZ BG NL AT LT FI SK GB HR PL IE SI LU EE CY DK MT LV
Total
86
61
44
68
30
21
19
20
18
19
21
16
24
18
11
13
13
60
11
44
9
7
6
6
6
13
5
6
icon: PPE PPE
193
2

Ireland PPE

Against (1)

3

Luxembourg PPE

3

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
182

Netherlands S&D

3

Croatia S&D

2

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

2

Malta S&D

3

Latvia S&D

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
68

Romania ALDE

3

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

Croatia ALDE

2

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

3

Denmark ALDE

3
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
46

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
46

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Hungary Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
34

Sweden EFDD

2

Czechia EFDD

Abstain (1)

1

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1

Poland EFDD

1
icon: NI NI
46

Germany NI

Against (1)

2

Spain NI

1

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Hungary NI

2

Netherlands NI

3

United Kingdom NI

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
60

Czechia ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Netherlands ECR

2

Lithuania ECR

1

Finland ECR

2

Slovakia ECR

For (1)

3

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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EP
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2015-05-20T00:00:00
type
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EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-8-2015-0208_EN.html title: T8-0208/2015
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http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-8-2015-0208_EN.html
activities
  • date: 2015-05-19T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20150519&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2015-05-20T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=25772&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2015-0208 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T8-0208/2015 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
committees
    docs
    • date: 2015-05-18T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B8-2015-0460&language=EN title: B8-0460/2015 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2015-06-22T00:00:00 docs: title: SWD(2015)0127 summary: The Commission presents a document containing the replies of the European Union to the questions of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities concerning the EU’s report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which entered into force in 2011. The Commission prepared the replies in liaison with other EU institutions, bodies and agencies. The List of Issues and the Commission’s responses include action taken to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities in the EU as well as a detailed discussion of specific rights such as equality and non-discrimination, accessibility, and health and employment. In this connection, the Commission noted that the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 lays down actions to implement the Convention at EU level. The Commission implements some actions directly; others require the agreement of Parliament and Council, while for others implementation is shared with Member States. The Commission regularly discusses implementation of the Convention at EU and Member State level in the High-level Group on Disability and the Work Forum. The Commission prepares an annual report of the High-level Group with input from Member States. The Work Forum brings together focal points, coordination and monitoring mechanisms, and civil society organisations, from the EU and its Member States. In its Resolution of 20 May 2015 on the List of Issues, the European Parliament called on the Commission, inter alia , to present an ambitious proposal for a European Accessibility Act, with the full involvement of persons with disabilities. Other salient issues highlighted included: Equal treatment : the Commission also noted that in 2008, it proposed an Equal Treatment Directive to extend the existing EU anti-discrimination legal framework beyond employment to social protection, healthcare, education and access to goods and services available to the public, including housing. The proposal is still being considered by Council. Health : in its proposed 2008 Directive, the Commission proposed to extend protection from discrimination in the provision of health care services on different grounds, including disability. In 2015, with financial support from Parliament, the Commission will launch a pilot project to develop strategies to address the health needs of vulnerable groups. A particular focus will be on those living in geographically and socially isolated communities, including the elderly and persons with disabilities. 112 emergency number : in the Parliament’s resolution the need to highlight the Europe-wide emergency number 112 was stressed. The document noted that in 2015, 22 Member States reported the implementation of an alternative access to 112. 18 Member States reported the take-up of SMS to 112; while three Member States reported the deployment of similar alternative means to contact emergency services. Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies : the document recalled that the Commission’s mandate in humanitarian aid includes the provision of needs-based assistance in particular to the most vulnerable, which often includes persons with disabilities; the needs of persons with disabilities are expected to be mainstreamed in operations within all sectors of humanitarian aid. The Commission is working on humanitarian guidelines on shelter and settlements, where the needs of persons with disabilities will be considered. In 2015, the Commission and the Latvian Presidency of the Council organised a conference to raise awareness of disability among those responsible for response to emergency situations. type: Follow-up document body: EC
    • date: 2015-09-24T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=25772&j=0&l=en title: SP(2015)470 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
    events
    • date: 2015-05-19T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20150519&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
    • date: 2015-05-20T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=25772&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
    • date: 2015-05-20T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2015-0208 title: T8-0208/2015 summary: The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the List of Issues adopted by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to the initial report of the European Union. The resolution was tabled by the S&D, ECR, EFD, Greens/EFA, ALDE, GUE/NGL, and EPP groups. Noting that the EU had formally ratified the CRPD, and that Parliament formed part of the EU Framework to monitor the implementation of the CRPD, Members assured the CRPD Committee that the European Parliament would respond to questions directly addressed to it , while also urging the Commission to take Parliament’s views into account when formulating its own answers to the committee. They recalled that the Commission had been designated to answer the List of Issues adopted by the CRPD Committee. Review process : recalling that several civil society organisations had submitted information to the CRPD Committee for the List of Issues, Parliament urged the Commission to further develop a structured dialogue and to consult and cooperate with organisations representing persons with disabilities as part of the review process, including in formulating an answer to the CRPD Committee on its List of Issues, and in developing, implementing and monitoring EU policies in this area. List of Issues : Members went on to note Parliament’s actions in respect of the List of Issues raised in relation to the initial report of the EU as part of the CRPD review, and these include: highlighting the need for accessibility in respect of universal service and the 112 emergency number; setting up an inter-committee coordination working group arranging awareness-raising events open to staff and MEPs, including the organisation of sign language courses as part of professional training. Legislation: Parliament highlighted the following: an EU anti-discrimination directive was proposed by the Commission in 2008, but it remained blocked in the Council. Members deplored the lack of progress within the Council on this proposal and urged Member States to work towards the adoption of a common position without any further delay. This directive would seek to protect people with disabilities against discrimination in social protection, health care and rehabilitation, education and access to and supply of goods and services, such as housing, transport and insurance; the Commission was asked to present an ambitious proposal for a European Accessibility Act, which should include a full range of policy areas with regard to the accessibility of goods and services for all EU citizens, fostering the independent living and full inclusion of people with disabilities and establishing an effective and independent monitoring and enforcement mechanism. In addition: the Council was urged to accelerate its work on the proposal for a directive on the accessibility of public sector bodies’ websites , with a view to reaching a common position; Member States must translate into national law the obligations derived from Article 12 of the CRPD, most specifically to ease any restrictions on rights of disabled people to cast their vote and to be elected. Lastly, Parliament considered it regrettable that the Code of Conduct was adopted by the Commission and the Council without the involvement of Parliament, with the result that Parliament had limited competences with regard to the monitoring of the CRPD.
    • date: 2015-05-20T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
    links
    other
      procedure/legal_basis/0
      Rules of Procedure EP 132-p2
      procedure/legal_basis/0
      Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 123-p2
      procedure/subject
      Old
      • 4.10.06 People with disabilities
      • 6.40.13 Relations with/in the context of international organisations: UN, OSCE, OECD, Council of Europe, EBRD
      New
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      People with disabilities
      6.40.13
      Relations with/in the context of international organisations: UN, OSCE, OECD, Council of Europe, EBRD
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      New
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      activities/1/docs/0
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      type
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      Results of vote in Parliament
      activities/1/docs/1/text
      • The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the List of Issues adopted by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to the initial report of the European Union.

        The resolution was tabled by the S&D, ECR, EFD, Greens/EFA, ALDE, GUE/NGL, and EPP groups.

        Noting that the EU had formally ratified the CRPD, and that Parliament formed part of the EU Framework to monitor the implementation of the CRPD, Members assured the CRPD Committee that the European Parliament would respond to questions directly addressed to it, while also urging the Commission to take Parliament’s views into account when formulating its own answers to the committee. They recalled that the Commission had been designated to answer the List of Issues adopted by the CRPD Committee.  

        Review process:  recalling that several civil society organisations had submitted information to the CRPD Committee for the List of Issues, Parliament urged the Commission to further develop a structured dialogue and to consult and cooperate with organisations representing persons with disabilities as part of the review process, including in formulating an answer to the CRPD Committee on its List of Issues, and in developing, implementing and monitoring EU policies in this area.

        List of Issues: Members went on to note Parliament’s actions in respect of the List of Issues raised in relation to the initial report of the EU as part of the CRPD review, and these include:

        • highlighting the need for accessibility in respect of universal service and the 112 emergency number;
        • setting up an inter-committee coordination working group arranging awareness-raising events open to staff and MEPs, including the organisation of sign language courses as part of professional training.

        Legislation: Parliament highlighted the following:

        • an EU anti-discrimination directive was proposed by the Commission in 2008, but it remained blocked in the Council. Members deplored the lack of progress within the Council on this proposal and urged Member States to work towards the adoption of a common position without any further delay. This directive would seek to protect people with disabilities against discrimination in social protection, health care and rehabilitation, education and access to and supply of goods and services, such as housing, transport and insurance;
        • the Commission was asked to present an ambitious proposal for a European Accessibility Act, which should include a full range of policy areas with regard to the accessibility of goods and services for all EU citizens, fostering the independent living and full inclusion of people with disabilities and establishing an effective and independent monitoring and enforcement mechanism.

        In addition:

        • the Council was urged to accelerate its work on the proposal for a directive on the accessibility of public sector bodies’ websites, with a view to reaching a common position;
        • Member States must translate into national law the obligations derived from Article 12 of the CRPD, most specifically to ease any restrictions on rights of disabled people to cast their vote and to be elected.

        Lastly, Parliament considered it regrettable that the Code of Conduct was adopted by the Commission and the Council without the involvement of Parliament, with the result that Parliament had limited competences with regard to the monitoring of the CRPD.

      activities/1/type
      Old
      Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
      New
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      UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
      New
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      activities/0/docs
      • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20150519&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament
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      • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2015-0208 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T8-0208/2015
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      Vote in plenary scheduled
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      Procedure completed
      activities/0/type
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      Debate in plenary scheduled
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      • date: 2015-05-19T00:00:00 body: EP type: Debate in plenary scheduled
      • date: 2015-05-20T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote in plenary scheduled
      committees
        links
        other
          procedure
          reference
          2015/2684(RSP)
          title
          UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
          legal_basis
          Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 123-p2
          stage_reached
          Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
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