EU Parliament and Council agree on EU disability card
Vienna (OTS/SK) – The negotiators from the Council and the EU Parliament have just agreed on the introduction of an EU-wide disability card. Vice-President of the European Parliament and member of the Social Committee Evelyn Regner sees this as a major achievement. She says: “We have been working on practical solutions to make everyday life easier for people with disabilities and these are finally being implemented. Traveling or visiting friends and family abroad – these and many other everyday things are not a given for people with disabilities. The lack of recognition of the national disability card in other EU countries can quickly turn a trip into an ordeal if, for example, the usual mobility support at home or the use of the disabled parking space is not possible there. That’s changing now! In the future, all people with disabilities should be able to exercise their assigned rights and preferential treatment in all member states. This ranges from the right to personal assistance, to mobility support, to reduced tariffs or priority access. As social democrats, we have successfully campaigned for these rights to apply not only to short-term stays, but also to semesters abroad, for example. The EU disability card is free and will be available in physical and digital versions. Our main concern is that all people in the EU can use the EU’s basic freedoms without discrimination: finally there is full freedom of movement and therefore more freedom, including for people with disabilities!” **** (Conclusion) ls
Questions & Contact:
Lena Easthill
Press spokeswoman for the SPÖ delegation in the European Parliament
+32 472397210
lena.easthill@europarl.europa.eu
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