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.