On 4 October 2022, the European Parliament discussed and approved MEP Langensiepen’s self-initiative report on the AccessibleEU centre. The report was overwhelmingly approved with 611 votes out of 623. MEP Katrin Langensiepen (Germany) (pictured) opened the debate by underlining that EU Commissioners should be involved in this Centre – not only EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli but especially Commissioner Thierry Breton, in charge of the internal market. She highlighted the need to implement existing legislation on accessibility.
She added that the AccessibleEU Centre must:
• provide clear guidelines to authorities
• harmonise Member States’ policies and “speeds of implementation”
• organise horizontal training programmes to increase expertise on accessibility
• strengthen coordination and cooperation between all actors. EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli took the podium next.
She thanked MEP Langensiepen for the report and reminded everyone that accessibility provisions are obligations for the EU and Member States, as parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). Several MEPs – including members of the European Parliament’s Disability Intergroup and of the European Alzheimer’s Alliance (Marc Angel, Brando Benifei, Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, Seán Kelly, Ádám Kósa, Tilly Metz and Tsvetelina Penkova) - intervened in the debate.
The main points they highlighted, were:
• the need for substantial financial and human resources to be allocated to the Centre
• the involvement of persons with disabilities in the work of the Centre
• a focus on supporting national governments and authority, especially through establishing national accessibility hubs
• paving the way for an EU Agency on Accessibility.
In closing, Commissioner Dalli thanked members for their contributions and recommendations, and shared her belief that the Accessible EU Centre will be vital in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. She also recognised, however, that other areas require further development.
