Around 20% of the population of the European Union has some kind of disability. People with disabilities face more barriers, challenges and discrimination in their daily lives and, in addition to this, the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures applied by the EU Member States have had a disproportionate effect on people with disabilities.

Therefore, the Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament has undertaken strong commitments to ensure the rights of people with disabilities and calls for concrete steps towards creating an inclusive European society based on equality and full accessibility for everyone.

Dragoș Pîslaru MEP, Renew Europe Coordinator of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, outlines the group’s initiative:

“A renewed Europe also means an inclusive Europe! What do we want for people with disabilities? Opportunities. Opportunities to live a life equal to that of people without disabilities. It is time to take bold, ambitious steps that are in line with European priorities, to stop lagging behind in terms of integrating people with disabilities into European society as it is today, and as we want it tomorrow. We aim to identify opportunities for people with disabilities through priority mechanisms for the European Union such as the Green Deal, Digital Agenda and Youth Mobility Programmes. We want to combat discrimination in all Member States.”

Radka Maxová MEP, initiator and co-author of Renew Europe’s position paper added:

“This declaration also takes into account the accelerated digitalisation of our society and commits to building a digital society that enhances the rights and freedoms of people with disabilities. It commits to ensuring full access to online services and AI-powered assistive technologies as well as areas of employment, education, healthcare, social services and culture. Renew Europe is determined to tackle current challenges and take practical, concrete steps towards creating an inclusive society that appreciates human diversity.”

Renew Europe will host a public webinar about the rights of people with disabilities on 24 June, bringing together Members of Parliament, people with disabilities and their representative organisations and EU Commissioners, to discuss how to remove physical, digital, logistical and social barriers in the workplace and the environment.

Click here to download the full pdf document.