The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has warned that persons with disabilities across Europe continue to face segregation, inadequate services and barriers to legal capacity. It has called for binding EU legislation, stronger monitoring and better use of EU funds to make community‑based living a guaranteed right rather than an aspiration.

At its March 2026 plenary session, the EESC adopted an exploratory opinion on how to ensure social inclusion and independent living for persons with disabilities through high‑quality, specialised social services. In the opinion, the Committee sets out a clear roadmap to close the gap between commitments and reality, building on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021–2030, and years of civil‑society advocacy.

Grounded in Articles 12 and 19 of the UNCRPD, the Committee stresses that equal recognition before the law and the right to independent living are inseparable. Without full legal capacity, people cannot genuinely choose where and with whom they live. Despite ratification of the Convention by all Member States, many continue to rely on institutional models that limit autonomy and participation.

During the plenary debate, rapporteur Pietro Barbieri thanked the Cypriot presidency for requesting the EESC to draft the opinion, which had allowed the Committee to shed more light on this issue.

'Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go: data indicates growing segregation. To break this vicious cycle, we need binding measures, starting with the European Union funds, and the adoption of Article 12 of the CRPD, from safeguards to decision-making support, Mr Barbieri added.

Although independent living is a key priority of the EU Disability Strategy, the Committee highlights a persistent implementation gap. Institutionalisation remains widespread, while political inertia, limited accessible housing and inconsistent reforms slow progress. The opinion also warns against 'trans‑institutionalisation', where smaller settings reproduce institutional practices without restoring control or decision‑making.

A lack of reliable, harmonised data across the EU further hampers monitoring and accountability, allowing setbacks to remain hidden. The EESC calls for improved data collection with the involvement of disabled people's organisations (DPOs).

To address these shortcomings, the Committee urges EU funds to stop financing segregation, calls for mandatory national de‑institutionalisation strategies and stresses the need for a binding EU directive to give effect to Article 19 of the UNCRPD. Genuine inclusion, it concludes, requires accountability, partnership and a firm shift towards person‑centred, community‑based support that enables persons with disabilities to live with dignity, autonomy and full participation. (lm)