Participation of persons with disabilities in the European elections

21.3.2018

Question for oral answer O-000033/2018
to the Commission
Rule 128
Cecilia Wikström, on behalf of the Committee on Petitions

The right and opportunity for persons with disabilities to vote and to be elected is enshrined in Articles 12 and 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). In light of the upcoming European elections, what concrete steps has the Commission taken to enable persons with disabilities to vote and stand for election, as stated in Action 2 (‘Participation’) of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020?

Can the Commission give an overview of the initiatives planned to provide information materials (including political party programmes, political debates and websites) on the European elections to persons with disabilities in the correct format (such as Easy-to-Read, Braille, etc.)?

What measures have been taken to raise awareness on the European elections for persons with disabilities living in institutional care, and to ensure that they are able to exercise the right to vote independently?

Have any information campaigns been planned to encourage persons with disabilities to stand for election?

How does the Commission intend to ensure that the voting procedures are accessible and easy to understand?

Persons with disabilities might face problems in relation to transport to the polling stations or in accessing them. How would access to polling stations be ensured? Is the Commission encouraging Member States to look at postal and online voting as a way to increase the political participation of persons with disabilities?

In some Member States, persons with disabilities are excluded from the right to vote due to over-regulated national legal capacity policies. Is the Commission taking any concrete measures to promote bringing Member States’ legislation on legal capacity in line with the UN Convention, as stated in Action 3 (‘Equality’) of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020? Has the Commission ever undertaken, or is it planning to undertake concrete proactive initiatives to have Member States reopen the debate, including by identifying best practices?