The European Parliament approved the report on the protection of persons with disabilities by an overwhelming majority of 84.7%.

MEP Alex Agius Saliba was the Rapporteur and the S&D spokesperson on the report. 

This is Agius Saliba’s third report as the Rapporteur that has been approved by the European Parliament’s Plenary during this legislative term, a Labour Party statement said.

“I am happy with the result of the vote. It was an honour for me to work on this important report, which aims to continue strengthening awareness and promoting equal rights and opportunities in the EU and its Member States for persons with disabilities”, commented Labour MEP Agius Saliba on the outcome of the vote.

With up to a quarter of EU citizens declaring some degree of impairment or disability, far too many people still face barriers to education, travelling to other EU countries or finding work. 

“The Report is calling on the European Commission and Member States to implement a number of initiatives aimed at ensuring that the Member States are in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The report is calling for a common definition for mutual recognition of the disability status between EU Member States, which is a crucial instrument to help persons with disabilities to exercise their right to free movement in a barrier-free Europe, therefore it should be mandatory in all Member States”, commented Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba

The report is also calling on all Member States that have not yet ratified the Optional Protocol to the CRPD to do so without further delay. “The Optional Protocol is an indivisible part of the CRPD, which provides EU citizens with a forum to communicate alleged violations of the provisions of the convention by a State Party and allows the CRPD Committee to initiate confidential inquiries when they receive information indicating that a State Party has committed a grave or systematic violation”, continued MEP Agius Saliba.

The right to petition Parliament is one of the fundamental rights of every EU citizen. However, persons with disabilities face enormous obstacles in exercising their right to petition. The report is calling on the European Parliament to ensure that its website is accessible for persons with disabilities, in line with the leading by example policy. Moreover, it should allow tabling petitions in international and national sign languages used in the EU and thus make the fundamental right to petition more accessible for sign language users.

“The European Union has a duty to respond to its citizens’ concerns and to improve the lives of people with disabilities in a barrier-free Europe. This is fundamental to achieve social and economic inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in society, free from discrimination and in full respect of their rights on an equal basis with others”, stated MEP Alex Agius Saliba.