Opinion on the EMPL draft report on the Proposal for a Directive establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities

29.11.2023

Mr Dragoş Pîslaru,

Chair

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

BRUSSELS

Subject: Opinion on the EMPL draft report on the Proposal for a Directive establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities (COM(2023)0512 – C9-0328/2023 – (2023/0311(COD))

Dear Chair,

Under the procedure referred to above, the Committee on Petitions has been asked to submit an opinion to your committee. At its meeting of 24 October 2023, the committee decided to send the opinion in the form of a letter. It considered the matter at its meeting of 29 November 2023 and adopted the opinion at that meeting.

The Committee on Petitions is the focal point for the citizens to get in touch and to exchange with the European Parliament. Petitions committee organises yearly the Workshop on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Parliament, which is part of the programme of the Disability Week organised this year by your committee, and PETI is an active member in the UN CRPD Framework.

We welcome the Commission Proposal for a Directive establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities as a long awaited initiative to respond to the discrimination suffered and the concerns of citizens with disabilities. This instrument will guarantee non-discrimination when moving across EU countries and creating certainty and removing administrative barriers for both persons with disabilities and private and public operators of services, facilities and activities.

Indeed, many petitions pointed out the obstacles faced by persons with disabilities who are restricted in their equal access to the right to free movement and accessibility. These petitions urge the introduction of an EU wide recognised EU disability Card, Parking Card and the mutual recognition of the degree of disability by Member States, in order to guarantee the equality in the EU. The disability Card will also be helpful for persons with invisible disabilities, often faced with additional attitudinal barriers.

As the matter of the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card is topical, the Committee on Petitions took already account of the proposal for a Directive establishing the European Disability Card as in the Resolution on harmonising the rights of autistic persons and the Report on the protection of persons with disabilities through petitions: lessons learnt. The Committee asked to include all situations where special conditions or preferential treatment are offered by private operators or public authorities to persons with disabilities. In addition, the Committee on Petitions called for this card to ensure the right to free movement across the EU for persons with disabilities, by granting the mutual recognition of disability status for card holders. Finally, it encouraged the Member States to be ambitious regarding the scope of the entitlements that card users will have and the Commission to ensure proper implementation by all Member States by way of binding legislation.

The European Disability Card should be voluntary, free to receive and renew, with no obligation to show it for services that are granted under other Union legislation. It should be accepted in all EU member states, which would provide adequate medical and social assistance. In addition, the European Commission must provide technical assistance to member states to implement the EDC directive and must develop specific trainings and guidelines for multiple sectors to avoid delays in verification and fraud. Finally, the implementation of provisions regarding the card should be a requirement for any country that wants to join the EU.

Therefore, I would like to ask you to take fully intro account those concerns and perspectives of the citizens as described in the petitions, and to include them in EMPL legislative report on the Proposal for a Directive establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities.

Yours sincerely,

Dolors Montserrat

ANNEX: List of entities or persons

from whom the rapporteur has received input

The following list is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur. The rapporteur has received input from the following entities or persons in the preparation of the draft opinion, until the adoption thereof in committee: