As we enter a new EU political mandate, beginning in September 2024 and ending in 2029, there are several updates we would like to highlight:
EU Institutions
- The European Parliament re-elected Ms Roberta Metsola as its President. At the start of September, EUD will undertake a campaign to introduce ourselves to the new and remaining Members of European Parliament (MEPs) by way of disseminating a factsheet about us!
- The European Commission –
- Whilst EUD welcomes the re-election of Ms Ursula Von der Leyen as President, we are concerned that disability issues are not mentioned in the document outlining the political priorities of the European Commission for 2024-2029.
- Despite the comprehensive agenda outlined by the Commission for the 2024-2029 term, disability rights were notably underemphasised, leaving behind significant concerns for the future of essential services and protections. However, the EUD and the European Disability Forum (EDF) are committed to working closely together to ensure that the rights of deaf people remain intact and are strengthened throughout this term. Both organisations will actively advocate for including disability rights in the EU’s broader legislative and policy frameworks, holding the Commission accountable to its obligations under the UNCRPD.
- The Disability Rights Strategy 2021-2030, requires a new action plan for the years 2025-2030 which will be a priority for the Commission as the new political mandate begins. EUD will work hard to ensure this action plan includes a measure on the EU recognising its 29 national sign languages as EU official languages as part of the multilingual EU.
- The Council of the EU – The current Council Presidency is held by Hungary until the end of 2024. One of its Presidency priorities is the social integration of persons with disabilities in the form of Council conclusions and a Presidency event. The next country to hold the Council Presidency will be Poland starting in 2025.
- EUD joins the call of the wider EU disability movement, for a new Directorate General for Equality and Fundamental Rights in the Commission; a Disability Committee in the Parliament; and an Equality Configuration in the Council of the EU.
- EUD advocacy priorities
- The EU recognition of its 29 national sign languages as EU official languages – the rights of EU deaf citizens to interact with and impart information from the EU institutions in their national sign languages is extremely important. This can be achieved by officially recognising the 29 EU National Sign Languages as EU official languages. These priorities are a component of our current mission of advocating for the rights of deaf people to equality, non-discrimination and full participation in all areas of European society.
- We will continue advocating for the possibility to table petitions to the Parliament in the 29 national sign languages of the EU as per EUD’s petition (1056/2016). Although, in the previous mandate, we made significant progress towards achieving this goal, there are a few more steps to make it a reality for all deaf EU citizens.
- The EU, as a State Party, will be reviewed by the CRPD Committee in March 2025, in terms of how well its laws align with its obligations under the Convention. EUD will be following this process closely, ensuring the deaf perspective is considered in the review. We will be submitting our Alternative Report to the CRPD Committee in support of this work – it will be published soon.
We truly hope that this political mandate sees improvements on the rights of deaf people in the EU. Stay tuned for all updates on the topics included in this article!
