The Pillar of Social Rights
On 22 July the European Commission published a new Communication on the European Pillar of Social Rights.
The European Pillar of Social Rights is a direction that the EU has set on social policies. It sets up some specific objectives like getting 15 million people out of poverty, or having 78% of the population at work by 2030. Social inclusion of people with disabilities is also an objective.
In the new document the European Commission proposes to set up a European Care Deal in 2027. From our understanding, it mainly aims to address shortage of care workers. It will also probably offer some training opportunities for care professionals on rights and inclusion.
It also proposes a Quality Jobs Act, that is currently being written with the consultation of everyone working on job quality.
There are no new specific policies for people with disabilities. The update of the EU Disability Strategy had already been announced earlier this year.
Public procurement
On 9 September the European Commission proposed a new law on Public Procurement. This will be the new set of rules when public authorities buy things or services from organisations.
Public buying is about 2.5 trillion euro a year. It is about 15% of what the EU produces every year. Many organisations supporting jobs for people with disabilities can run thanks to public procurement.
Reserved contracts stay: companies where at least 30% of staff are disabled can still get contracts nobody else competes for. Sheltered workshops are still in.
There is an important new mention. Workshops qualify only “provided that the labour rights of the persons with disabilities are safeguarded”. This can lead to good changes to ensure minimum wage and labour rights in organisations employing people with disabilities.
The text also makes accessibility and social inclusion reasons to award a contract, instead of lowest price alone.
Read the reaction of the European Disability Forum: “Proposed Public Procurement rules give potential boost to disability rights”.
The Affordable Housing Act
Also on 9 September, the European Commission proposed the Affordable Housing Act. Persons with disabilities are not mentioned at all. Accessibility is not mentioned. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is not mentioned.
The Act targets “areas under housing stress”: big cities, short-term rentals, second homes, etc.
It doesn’t seem to be a concern for policymakers that in 14 EU countries, few or no adults with intellectual disabilities live in a place of their own. People are likely to be moved into an institution once their parents can no longer support them.
Read the reaction of the European Disability Forum “Affordable but inaccessible: Commission’s Affordable Housing Act ignores disability”.
The protection of adults regulation
In May, the European Parliament and the EU Council agreed the Regulation on the protection of adults in cross-border situations. It decides what happens when someone who has a guardian, or a supporter, gets care abroad, owns a house in another country, or moves.
The first draft would have made a guardianship order from one country automatically valid everywhere, including in countries that abolished it. We strongly opposed this text, and joined forces to call for improvements.
Now, the final text would:
- allow supported decision-making measures to be recognised across the EU.
- allow a genuine opportunity to be heard. If not, this would be grounds for a country not to accept a “protection” or support measure.
- not allow national registers of guardianship.
- create a European Certificate that aims to prove an arrangement abroad without going to court again.
The text does not forbid sending someone across a border into an institution. Guardianship could still be recognised abroad.
The European Parliament and EU Council still need to vote on the new text.
Summary written by Freddy Jussien.