EESC wants stronger, binding action for second half of EU Disability Strategy

At its June 2025 plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted a forward-looking opinion urging the European Commission to take more ambitious and binding action in the second half of the implementation phase of the EU Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2021–2030). The strategy aims to ensure full inclusion and equal rights for persons with disabilities across Europe, aligning with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

The EESC welcomed the Commission’s ongoing commitment and acknowledged the positive impact of initiatives such as the EU Disability Card, the AccessibleEU Centre and guidance on independent living. However, it criticised the lack of legal force behind many of these actions, which has limited their effectiveness in practice.

Rapporteur Ioannis Vardakastanis emphasised that the strategy must not stall halfway through its 10-year programme. He called for new, tangible action that improves the daily lives of persons with disabilities, combats discrimination and promotes community-based services over institutionalisation.

To ensure meaningful progress, the EESC proposed several targeted measures: a Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee, modelled on the Youth Guarantee; a directive on freedom of movement for persons with disabilities; establishment of a fully-fledged EU Accessibility Agency with regulatory powers; greater protection for women and girls with disabilities, including a ban on forced sterilisation; a Fund for Accessible Housing to address housing challenges; mutual recognition of assistive technologies across Member States and anti-discrimination safeguards in AI and algorithmic management.

The EESC also called for a dedicated budget under the next Multiannual Financial Framework and for meaningful consultation with persons with disabilities and their representative organisations throughout the strategy’s implementation phase. (lm)