The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which reviews the adherence of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), has published its concluding observations, following its review of the EU’s compliance. The report highlights the Committee’s concerns in a number of policy areas relating to EU’s current policies and legislative files, including the withdrawal of the Equal Treatment Directive, the need to strengthen and clarifying policies relating to deinstitutionalisation and a recommendation not to proceed with the Regulation on the protection of adults in cross-border situations.
The Committee specifically noted the lack of actions related to dementia within the EU’s key policies, specifically the EU Strategy for the Rights of People with Disabilities, recommending that the EU address this: “The Committee observes with concern that the specific actions and measures contained in the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (“Disability Rights Strategy”) ended in 2024, and that concrete plans for the next term have yet to be adopted, and that it contains only limited actions to address the situation of autistic persons, persons with cerebral palsy and persons with dementia. The Committee recommends that the European Union establish a process to adopt new specific actions, measures and time frames for the implementation of the Disability Rights Strategy for the period 2025-2030, in close consultation and active involvement of persons with disabilities through their representative organizations, and to extend the new specific actions, measures and time frames to all persons with disabilities, including persons with cerebral palsy, autistic persons and persons with dementia."
The full text of the concluding observations is available at: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRPD%2FC%2FEUR%2FCO%2F2-3&Lang=en