Nothing about us without us.

Nothing about us without us.

CRPD Concluding Observations: EU to Prioritise the Rights of Deaf People to National Sign Languages!

Conference room with delegates seated at a long table with nameplates. A large screen displays a speaker and sign language interpreter. Attendees are seated at desks with individual screens.

CRPD Committee Issues Concluding Observations on the European Union – Rights of Deaf People and to EU National Sign Languages Included Among Key Priorities

The European Union of the Deaf (EUD) welcomes the release of the Concluding Observations by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee) following its public review of the European Union on 11–12 March 2025. EUD actively contributed to this process through a comprehensive alternative report and by participating in the dialogue in Geneva as part of the delegation of organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs). The Committee’s Concluding Observations reaffirm several of EUD’s long-standing advocacy priorities, placing the rights of deaf people and sign language users firmly on the agenda.

Here are their main recommendations, and why it matters to the European deaf community:

Officialisation of EU National Sign Languages

A significant highlight of the Concluding Observations is the Committee’s strong call for the recognition of the 29 EU National Sign Languages as official EU languages. The Committee further urges the EU to amend the Rules of Procedure of its institutions to allow deaf people to interact in their respective National Sign Languages when participating in EU-level consultations, meetings, and democratic processes. This clear endorsement by the Committee aligns with the European deaf community longstanding position for linguistic equality and the right to participate fully in public and political life through National Sign Languages.

The Committee also recommends that deaf culture be recognised as part of the cultural and linguistic landscape of the EU, further reinforcing the importance of preserving and promoting sign languages as integral to the European cultural and linguistic landscapemultilingualism policies.

Moreover, the Committee recommends the EU to apply the implement comprehensive accessibility measures across all its platforms, including providing sign language interpretation for all its webstreams and audiovisual content regardless of topic, in compliance with the accessibility standards it promotes among the Member States.

Accessibility of 112 in the National Sign Languages

The Committee reflected in its Concluding Observations EUD’s concerns regarding the delayed implementation of the European Accessibility Act, particularly the continued inaccessibility of the European emergency number 112 for deaf National Sign Language users. It expressed serious concern that Member States have been allowed to postpone the application of accessibility obligations until 2027 and called on the EU to adopt immediate interim measuresaccelerate the development of the standards setting requirements for the accessibility of emergency communications (including of the 112 number). These include ensuring accessible emergency communications in National Sign Languages through Total Conversation and guaranteeing interoperability across Member States and strengthening oversight mechanisms to enforce compliance.

Disaggregated Data on Persons with Disabilities with an Intersectional Approach

The Committee places a strong emphasis on the collection of disaggregated data by the EU and its institutions. It recommends that data be broken down by disability type and intersecting identities, such as gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. Furthermore, the Committee recommends the improvement of disaggregated data collection on the participation of women and girls with disabilities in political, economic and social spheresand the development of data systems to identify their diverse lived experiences. We welcome theise recommendations, particularly the call to apply expand the use of the Washington Group Short Set of questions across EU-level data systems and to ensure that barriers faced by deaf people are explicitly captured.

Freedom of Movement and Portability of Rights

A key recommendation relevant to the daily lives of EU deaf citizens concerns the freedom of movement of persons with disabilities moving for a long term or permanently from one Member State to another. The Committee urges the EU to extend the portability of social protection and disability-related benefits for them, including through an expanded EU Disability Card. It calls for harmonised mutual recognition of disability status among Member States, which would allow deaf people to retain their disability rightssocial protection rights when relocating for work, study or family reasons within the EU for a long term or permanently.

What’s next ?

We are encouraged by the Committee’s Concluding Observations and we urges the European Commission, Parliament, Council, and all EU institutions to take immediate steps to implement the recommendations—particularly those on National Sign Language officialisation, access to emergency services, and the portability of rights. As we look ahead to the development of the next European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2025–2030, EUD stands ready to continue working in close partnership with EU institutions, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, and our national members to ensure the rights of deaf people are fully upheld across all areas of EU law and policy.

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint this page

All the publications from 2022 - 2026 are co-funded by and produced under the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission’s CERV Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Share this article...

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Related Articles

Skip to content