The initiatives of the European Union (EU) to improve the lives of people with disabilities are not very effective, concludes this Thursday the European Court of Auditors (ECA), which calls for the adoption of the legislation proposed by the European Commission.
In a report published this Thursday, the ECA warns that “around a quarter of EU citizens aged 16 and over (about 87 million people), especially older people, say they have a disability, for example physical or mental”, number that should increase with the aging of the population.
According to the TCE, “EU actions do little to improve the lives of people with disabilities in the Member States”, highlighting that the main equality indicators barely improved in recent years.
TO difficulty finding a job Is not fall into poverty It is the greatest difficulty identified by people with disabilities.
The court also highlights that the strategy outlined by the European Commission for 2021-2030, in which it proposed initiatives to promote inclusion, such as European Disability Card and the Disability Employment Package — “These are steps in the right direction”.
However, The directive (European law) on equal treatment is stopped. and Member States are slow to incorporate the Accessibility Directive into their national legislation.
Disability status has Different criteria depending on the countries.That hinders mutual recognition and prevents the community executive from having a good overview of the situation.
According to data from the EU statistical service, Eurostat, in 2021, 51% of people with disabilities were employed, compared to 75% of people without disabilities.
Source: Observadora
