The EU’s action to improve the situation of people with disabilities in the member states has made little difference in real life, according to a new audit report published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) last week.
Around a quarter of EU citizens over 16 (about 87 million people), particularly the elderly, have a self-declared physical or mental disability. Only 51 % of people with disabilities had jobs, compared to 75 % of those without disabilities, meaning that the disability employment gap remained almost the same as in 2014 when records began.
People with disabilities were also at greater risk of poverty – the risk being higher for women than for men – and the COVID-19 pandemic made their situation even worse.
“The Commission is committed to helping people with disabilities play an equal part in everyday life, but EU actions have had little practical impact,” said Stefan Blok, the Dutch ECA member in charge of the audit, at a virtual press conference. “People with disabilities in the EU still face an uphill struggle getting a job and fighting poverty, as well as barriers to their freedom of movement.”
The auditors focused its audit on how the Commission, in particular the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, had designed its strategy. They also consulted other stakeholders on EU-level.
The audit also included data collection in the EU member states. The auditors visited four member states (Spain, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden) with different approaches to evaluating and determining disability status. The benefits granted to people with disabilities even differed between regions and municipalities in three of the visited countries.
Member states have primary responsibility for inclusion policies in employment, education, social assistance and equal access to services while the EU’s role is to provide support and coordination. However, the member states provide very different support and benefits for people with disabilities, and have different ways of deciding who is eligible, according to the auditors.
Furthermore, they do not recognise the disability status granted by other member states, something that would foster barrier-free movement across the bloc.
In its 2021-2030 strategy, the Commission addressed earlier shortcomings and proposed a number of flagship inclusion initiatives such as the European Disability Card and the Disability Employment Package. However, the strategy leaves many key issues unresolved and does not track how much EU money actually goes into supporting people with disabilities.
The auditors looked also at whether EU institutions, such as the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, lead by example when it comes to employing people with disabilities. However, due to a lack of data, they were not able to assess whether the EU institutions have achieved their ambitions by including people with disabilities in their workforce.
Social policy expenditure constitutes an important share of member states’ budgets. According to Eurostat, average national spending on social policy in the EU accounts for 22 % of GDP, but only one tenth of it (2.2 % of GDP) is allocated to “disability”. The percentage in this category of expenditure ranges from 0.6 % in Malta to 5 % in Denmark.
A decade of stagnation
ECA member Stefan Block was blunt in his criticism. “Regrettably, we are witnessing a decade of almost stagnation or very little uptick when it comes to improving the opportunities for people with disabilities to play an equal part in everyday life in important area. It's not because the Commission has not shown itself committed, but because the developments on the ground don't show real progress.”
In its reply, the Commission did not question the audit findings but argued that overall, in spite of limited competences in some policy areas, the EU has adopted several binding acts, which already have or will soon have a positive practical impact for persons with disabilities.
The Commission accepted all four audit recommendations: obtain more comparable data across the EU, make progress in reviewing and adopting relevant EU legislation, work towards mutual recognition of the disability status, and measure and report progress towards employing persons with disabilities in EU institutions.
As regards the European Disability Card, which aims to facilitate the free movement of persons with disabilities through mutual recognition of disability status, the Commission will propose creating the Disability Card by end of 2023 with a view to be recognized in all Member States.
A Commission spokesperson described the 2021-2030 Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as the Commission's compass to support the inclusion of people with disabilities and make sure that they can enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms just as everyone else.
“As recognised by ECA, the strategy includes concrete measures to tackle the shortcomings identified in the audit,” the spokesperson told The Brussels Times
“We have solid legislation in place thanks to the European Accessibility Act, which is a directive that helps increase active participation of people with disabilities in society, including in education and in employment. The European Accessibility Act entered into force in 2019 and the Commission is taking active steps in the form of infringements, against those Member States that do not respect these rules.”
Does or will the Commission issue country specific recommendations to the EU member states on their disabilities policies?
“The Commission monitors the situation of persons with disabilities in the EU through the European Semester process for economic and social surveillance, in line with the annual Decision on the Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States,” a Commission source replied.
It collects data on the situation of persons with disabilities in the areas of employment, education and poverty reduction in the annual Joint Employment Report and provides country-specific analysis of the main challenges and policy developments in these areas in view of possible country-specific recommendations.
“There are no country-specific recommendations on disability specifically," the Commission admitted. "However, wider recommendations on topics like employment and access to person-centred social and care services in the community might have an impact on persons with disabilities, too.”
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
