How does the EU promote the rights of persons with disabilities
Find out more about the European Parliament’s work to promote the rights of persons with disabilities and contribute to a more inclusive society.
Estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that 15% of the world’s population live with some form of disability. In the EU, 24% of the population over the age of 16 have some form of disability. According to Eurostat estimates, that equals to 107 million people or one in four adults in the EU.
The European Parliament consistently advocates for an inclusive society in which the rights of people living with disabilities are protected and where there is no discrimination.
What is the European strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities ?
The European Commission adopted a Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 in 2021 encompassing Parliament’s main recommendations:
- The mainstreaming of the rights of all people living with disabilities into all policies and areas
- Recovery and mitigation measures to avoid people with disabilities getting disproportionally affected by health crises
- Equal access for people with disabilities to health care, employment, public transport, housing
- People with disabilities, their families and organisations were part of the dialogue and will be part of the process of implementation.
The EU Strategy was put in place to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is an international legally binding human rights treaty setting minimum standards to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
The EU and all member states have ratified the convention, which means that both the EU and member states are obliged to implement its provisions, according to their competences.
How does the European Parliament want to improve the strategy for persons with disabilities?
The strategy for 2021-2030 is due to be updated, since the list of initiatives published in 2021 only goes up to 2025. Parliament adopted its priorities for the EU’s strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities in November 2025. The report calls for ambitious and tangible measures as well as legal instruments to be implemented until 2030.
MEPs proposed EU-funded measures to improve access to employment, training and education for persons with disabilities. They call on the Commission to propose an EU-wide definition of “disability” to ensure equal rights.
Parliament highlights the situation of women and girls with disabilities, stressing the need to address the discrimination they suffer and to improve their access to healthcare, participation and protection.
Adopted measures promoting the rights of persons with disabilities
The European Disability card and European Parking Card
People with disabilities are often granted special conditions or preferential treatment in their country for a variety of services - for example, access to public or private transport, personal assistance, access to reserved parking or reduced fees for museums.
However, when they travel to another EU country, they may not be granted special conditions or treatment there because of lack of recognition of their disability card or certificate.
New rules, approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU in 2024, establish an EU-wide European Disability Card and European Parking Card that will grant card holders, as well as those accompanying them and assistance animals, access to most of the same conditions as national card holders.
The rules only apply for short stays, with an exception for disability card holders that move to another member state for a mobility programme, such as Erasmus+. The cards should be operational in 2028.
Other EU initiatives
The European Accessibility Act ensures that more products and services like smartphones, tablets, ATMs or e-books are accessible to people with disabilities.
The directive on web accessibility means people with disabilities have easier access to online data and services online because websites and apps operated by public sector institutions, such as hospitals, courts or universities, are required to be accessible.
The Erasmus+ student exchange programme promotes the mobility of participants with disabilities.
EU rules also ensure improved access to transport and better passenger rights for people living with disabilities.
Find out more on EU policies for a more social Europe
The Disability Rights Week
The European Parliament holds a Disability Rights Week, an annual event to spotlight the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities across all areas of EU policy. The third edition takes place from 1 to 5 December 2025.
Throughout the week, parliamentary committees, leading MEPs, Parliament’s administration and external stakeholders will hold hearings, debates, workshops and awareness-raising activities aimed at identifying barriers, sharing good practices and strengthening accessibility - in EU policymaking and in the institution itself.
