REFLECTIONS BY CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERS: EU budget

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The Next Long-Term EU Budget: 
a risk for disability rights? 

The proposals for the next multiannual financial framework (2028-2034) are full of uncertainty in all areas. The same is true for disability rights. 

The European Commission’s proposals risk undoing hard-won progress on disability. One major concern is that the proposed regulations set fewer conditions on how funds should be used. That’s great news for Member States wanting more freedom, but not for persons with disabilities, who rely on binding rules to ensure EU funding doesn’t exclude them further.

In the proposals presented, rules that prevent investments in segregated settings, or that ensure that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is met, have been downgraded. Until now, Member States have been required to respect these principles in order to access funding. However, in the new proposals, they are mentioned only occasionally and are no longer central.

A new list of ‘Horizontal Principles’ replaces the current conditions. While these refer to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, they make no reference to the UN Convention, signed and ratified by the EU, and the linchpin of disability rights globally. Why did the Commission propose downgrading disability rights? We still don’t have a clear answer.

While a minimum threshold for how much money goes towards social actions has been proposed, the proposals soften rules on how exactly this social funding should be used. For decades, these funds have been a lifeline, supporting personal assistance, inclusive education, community services and employment in the open labour market. But the current rule that 25% of social funds must go specifically towards social inclusion is set to disappear. That means these crucial investments will depend on the goodwill of national governments. Member States already underinvesting in disability support will likely continue to do so, with no incentive to change.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. The European Parliament and the Council of the EU now hold the pen. There’s still time to fix the shortcomings of the proposals. Member States must be willing to give up some flexibility for the good of those most at risk. 

Haydn HAMMERSLEY
Social Policy Coordinator, European Disability Forum 

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