[PRESS RELEASE]

On World Autism Awareness Day 2026, Autism‑Europe is once again drawing attention to the rights, experiences and voices of autistic people across Europe. This year, our message is clear: awareness must lead to concrete action.

One year on from the UN’s recommendations to the EU

In April 2025, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities published a set of recommendations urging the European Union to strengthen how it implements the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). These recommendations highlighted ongoing gaps in inclusion, accessibility and participation, and called on the EU to ensure that its laws, policies and funding genuinely uphold the rights of persons with disabilities — including autistic people.

One year later, these recommendations remain as relevant as ever. Despite important policy commitments at EU level, many autistic people across Europe continue to face barriers in accessing diagnosis, education, employment, healthcare, community‑based support and independent living. Too often, their needs and experiences are overlooked in decision‑making processes.

Feeding lived experience into EU policy discussions

Over the past year, Autism‑Europe and its member organisations have worked actively to ensure that autistic people’s voices are heard at EU level. Most recently, we contributed to the European Commission’s public consultation on the next phase of the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021–2030.

Through this consultation, our members shared concrete examples of the challenges autistic people face in their daily lives, as well as practical recommendations for improvement. This input reflects a strong consensus across our network: EU disability policy must move beyond general principles and deliver meaningful, measurable change on the ground.

What we are calling for

Building on the UN’s recommendations, the consultation results and our own campaign priorities, Autism‑Europe is calling on policymakers to take decisive action to:

• Strengthen inclusive education and access to employment
• Invest in community‑based support and independent living
• Improve accessibilit, including sensory, cognitive and communication accessibility
• Combat misinformation and discrimination
• Guarantee the meaningful participation of autistic people in policy‑making

While progress at EU level is essential, these commitments must also be translated into action at national and regional levels, where policies are implemented and services are delivered.

Looking ahead: the next phase of the EU Disability Strategy

Autism‑Europe now looks towards the European Commission’s upcoming communication on the next phase of the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This will be a key moment to demonstrate that the EU is ready to respond to the UN’s recommendations and to the voices shared through the consultation process.

We will continue to engage closely with EU institutions to advocate for clear objectives, timelines and accountability mechanisms that ensure autistic people’s rights are fully respected.

The “Not invisible” campaign: making voices visible

These efforts are at the heart of Autism‑Europe’s “Not invisible” campaign. Launched ahead of the 2024 European elections, the campaign continues in 2026 with a strong focus on transforming political commitments into tangible outcomes for autistic people.

A core principle of the campaign is that lived experience must shape policy. That is why Autism‑Europe provides a platform for autistic people across Europe to tell their own stories — through videos, written testimonies, audio recordings and creative formats. These contributions challenge stereotypes, combat misinformation and remind decision‑makers that autism policies must be grounded in real lives.

Get involved

World Autism Awareness Day is not just a symbolic moment — it is a call to action. We invite our members, partners and supporters to continue engaging with the campaign by sharing content, amplifying autistic voices, and advocating for change at all levels. Click here for more information.

Together, we can ensure that autistic people are no longer invisible — in policy, in practice, or in society.

On World Theatre Day, we invite you to discover the Self‑Determination & Inclusion by Theatre (SDIT) project (2023–2025). SDIT  was a three‑year European Erasmus+ initiative aimed at promoting the self‑determination, autonomy, and social inclusion of autistic youth and adults through participatory theatre. Anchored in the principle that access to cultural life is a human right, theatre has proved to be a powerful tool to strengthen confidence, communication, and community belonging among autistic people.

The project developed and implemented an innovative adult‑education course designed for professionals in the performing arts, giving them the skills needed to meaningfully include autistic participants in theatre productions. This training was delivered in Portugal, Spain, and Italy, and builds on a successful existing pilot led by Teatro da Vila and Inovar Autismo (both from Portugal). The project consortium included Autism‑Europe, the coordinator ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon, Autismo Sevilla (Spain), and Diversamente ODV (Italy).

A major milestone came with the pilot course, which trained 45 theatre professionals. Overwhelmingly positive feedback indicated that over 90% felt the course met or exceeded expectations, and over 70% said it deepened their understanding of autism. The project successfully challenged the misconception that autistic people can only participate in disability‑specific theatre groups, demonstrating instead that the stage can be a fully inclusive space where everyone can express who they are.

In May 2025, during a side event held alongside AE’s general assembly in Cagliari, Sardinia, Diversamente ODV collaborated with a local community theatre at Casa Saddi, a cultural centre housed in a historic building in the Pirri district, to stage an inclusive performance featuring autistic actors as a preview of their larger production.

The SDIT documentary film features interviews with the casts and crew of the performances staged in Italy, Portugal and Spain, as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses of rehearsals and excerpts from the plays. The documentary illustrates the transformative impact of inclusive theatre on autistic and non‑autistic participants alike, highlighting theatre’s capacity to build empathy, shift societal perceptions, and foster genuine inclusion.

Overall, SDIT marks a significant step in reshaping Europe’s cultural sector to become more accessible, empowering autistic people to participate fully and authentically in the performing arts.

Download the SDIT Handbook for inclusive theatre here.

Watch he SDIT Documentary here.

Autism Month is fast approaching! As we count down to World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April, learn how you can support our Not invisible campaign.

In 2026, the campaign focuses on ensuring that autistic people and their families have a platform to express their views, concerns, and aspirations in their own words and formats, and influence European decision-makers.

We share community stories and quality data to show the effects of policy and service gaps on autistic people and their families. We aim to raise awareness within the wider community and inform policymakers that concrete changes are needed to protect the rights of autistic people and their families.

This year, you can help us spread the word about autism, get involved, and support our call to action to protect the rights of autistic people and their families.

Check out our campaign toolkit to access all WAAD 2026 resources for free.

Read on for tips, inspiration, and find out all the different ways you can get involved.

Access the toolkit 

Spread the word about autism and support the campaign on social media

Our toolkit contains a selection of campaign materials, including key messages and social media visuals, for you to download and share with your network!

We will be actively posting on our channels during Autism Month and will be releasing new videos from community members on our campaign website and social media – including on our new TikTok channel!

• We encourage you to follow us on all our platforms and reshare our posts to amplify our campaign!

• Don’t hesitate to tag us (@autismeurope) and use the hashtags #AutismNotInvisible #AutismDay2026 in all of your posts. You can add the campaign’s logo and visual identity to your materials.

• You can record a video explaining what “Autism Not Invisible” means to you.

With your help, we can have a real impact on World Autism Day and throughout April to ensure autistic people and their families are visible.

Share your autism story with us!

Are you an autistic person or a family member? You can take part in the campaign by sharing your personal autism story with us or by sharing our call for stories with your network.

We are encouraging community members to openly share their experiences, perspectives, and challenges to advocate for better policies, public services,

and practices that support the rights and quality of life of autistic people. Tell us about the challenges you have faced and the support you have received.

Choose a topic that matters to you and send your contribution in the format you like best:

• Record a short video

• Send a photo or drawing that shows your experience

• Record your voice telling your story

• Write a blog or a short text

Once your material is ready, please fill out this consent form and your materials to communication@autismeurope.org.

Your story can help foster a deeper understanding of autism and guide our advocacy work for a meaningful European Disability Strategy.

Read how to share your story

Ask your policymakers to take action for the rights of autistic people

Use our template letter to write to your European, national, and local policymakers and ask them to sign our 2026 pledge to advance the rights of autistic people.

You can share our visual with policymakers and encourage them to share it on their social media platforms to mark WAAD 2026 and express their support.

Once your letter is sent, please keep us informed about new signatories so we can highlight them on our campaign website and social media channels.

Download our 2026 pledge

Share your Autism Month activities with us!

Are you planning an activity to mark World Autism Day? Whether you’re organising an activity in your local community, workplace, school or online, we want to know!

If you host a campaign event with politicians, you can:

• Print our 2026 pledge and manifesto

• Take pictures with policymakers signing the pledge

• Send the photos to us, the media, and post them on social media to build momentum!

Don’t hesitate to write to us at communications@autismeurope.org if you need additional materials or have any questions.

In a significant and welcome development, Italy has taken a decisive step toward making democratic participation more accessible for persons with disabilities. As of the upcoming March 22–23 referendum, voters with intellectual disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions can now rely on the European Disability Card as sufficient proof to receive assistance at polling stations, eliminating the need for burdensome medical certificates or administrative validation. For Autism-Europe, this milestone represents far more than an administrative simplification. It demonstrates how Member States can meaningfully expand the scope of EU instruments like the European Disability Card, transforming them from tools of mobility into instruments of fundamental rights, in that case, the right to political participation.

At the heart of this reform is the right to reasonable accommodation. As highlighted by Maurizio Borgo, President of Italy’s National Authority for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the right to vote for people with intellectual disabilities has long existed in law, but often remained difficult to exercise in practice. Seemingly small procedural barriers such as the inability to fold a ballot independently could lead to votes being invalidated due to strict secrecy rules. The requirement to obtain medical certification in advance further discouraged participation and created unnecessary stress.

By allowing the European Disability Card to serve as immediate and recognisable proof of entitlement to assistance, Italy has removed these barriers at the point where they matter most: inside the polling station. This transforms the voting experience from a bureaucratic challenge into a more accessible civic act. It also demonstrates how reasonable accommodations can be implemented in a simple, practical way that preserves both the integrity of the vote and the dignity of the voter.

This development aligns closely with findings from Autism-Europe’s recent submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on political participation of autistic people. Despite improvements across Europe, autistic people and persons with intellectual disabilities continue to face significant barriers in accessing their right to political participation.

Key challenges identified include:

• Limited awareness of the right to request reasonable accommodation
• Inaccessible voting procedures and environments
• Lack of accessible information (e.g. easy-to-read formats)
• Persistent stigma and assumptions about capacity

A positive example of the added value of the European disability card and how it can be used beyond its initial scope

The broader significance of this measure lies in what it reveals about the evolving role of the European Disability Card. Following the adoption of EU legislation in 2024, Member States are currently transposing the card into national law, with full implementation expected in the coming years. The card is intended to ensure mutual recognition of disability status across the EU, particularly during short stays, making it easier for people with disabilities, especially those with invisible disabilities, to access support without repeatedly having to justify their needs.

Autism-Europe welcomed this development as a major step towards freedom of movement for disabled EU citizens. However, as Italy has demonstrated, the potential of the card does not stop there. By using it to facilitate access to voting assistance, Italy has effectively extended its function into the realm of political rights. This goes beyond the minimum requirements of EU law, but remains fully aligned with its objectives and with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is a clear example of how Member States can use transposition as an opportunity to deepen inclusion rather than simply comply with legal obligations.

Transposition as opportunity, not just a formality

Across the EU, the transposition of the European Disability Card directive is progressing at different speeds. According to insights shared during a recent 2026 webinar organised by the European Disability Forum, consultations have taken place in only a subset of Member States, and approaches vary significantly.

This uneven landscape presents both a risk and an opportunity. The risk being that fragmented implementation could lead to inconsistent recognition of disability status and unequal access to rights. The opportunity of such a directive allowing for ambitious national transposition that can extend the card’s benefits into new areas of life.

Italy has clearly chosen the latter path. By integrating the card into electoral procedures, it has demonstrated how national authorities can use transposition not just to comply with EU law, but to advance inclusion in meaningful and innovative ways.

A positive step for the right to political participation: more progress remains to be done

For autistic people, the implications are particularly meaningful. Autism is often an invisible disability, and individuals frequently encounter situations where their support needs are questioned or misunderstood. The European Disability Card provides a clear and standardised way to communicate those needs, reducing the pressure to explain or justify oneself in stressful environments. In the context of voting, this can make a significant difference, lowering anxiety, facilitating access to assistance, and ultimately enabling and encouraging greater participation in democratic processes.

At the same time, this reform highlights that more remains to be done. In many countries, legal frameworks still limit assisted voting to people with visible physical disabilities, excluding those whose intellectual or neurodevelopmental conditions create barriers to voting. Expanding these provisions is a necessary next step. Equally important is the need to ensure that electoral information is accessible, that polling staff are adequately trained, and that broader pathways into political participation, such as standing for election, are open and inclusive.

Autism-Europe calls for continued efforts toward an ambitious implementation of the European Disability Card

Italy’s initiative therefore represents both a milestone and a starting point. As the European Disability Card continues to be rolled out across the EU, the key question will be how ambitiously it is implemented. Will it remain primarily a tool for facilitating travel, or will it become a more versatile instrument supporting access to a wide range of rights?

Italy has demonstrated that the card can play a role in strengthening democratic inclusion. Autism-Europe encourages other Member States to build on this example by ensuring that their national transposition processes are both timely and ambitious, minimising restrictions and exploring innovative applications that enhance participation in everyday life.

Ultimately, the significance of this reform lies in its broader message. Rights are not only defined by legislation, but by the systems that enable people to exercise them. By making voting more accessible in practice, Italy has taken an important step toward a more inclusive democracy in which autistic people and all persons with disabilities can participate fully and equally. If replicated across Europe, such measures could help close the gap between formal rights and lived experience, ensuring that political participation is not just guaranteed in principle, but realised in practice.

Autism-Europe has co-signed a joint statement on the next EU Budget, as part of a coalition of 68 European networks and 288 national organisations from 32 countries. Together, the EUFunds4Social coalition calls  on the European institutions to safeguard and strengthen  a standalone European Social Fund (ESF) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is the EU’s seven-year budget. Its current framework sets the spending priorities and ceilings for close to €2 trillion from 2021-2027. The two most relevant programmes for employment, education and social inclusion are the European Social Fund + and the European Regional Development Fund; which invests hundreds of millions each year into the inclusion of persons with disabilities.  

With the current framework coming to an end in 2027, the European Commission published last summer its proposals for the next 7-year programming 2028-2034. The highlight was a radical change to EU Funding, merging several funding streams (including ESF+ and ERDF) under National and Regional Partnership Plans. Both the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament are now negotiating their own positions on the Commission proposals.

To influence this process, the EUFunds4Social Coalition was set-up to bring the perspective of those who will ultimately be transforming funding into concrete initiatives for people across Europe, especially those most excluded. The Coalition now publishes its fourth joint statement.

In more technical terms, the statement, endorsed by 356 organisations, including 68 European networks, calls on the European Parliament and Council of the European Union to:

• Secure strong and dedicated budgets for ESF and ERDF, at least equal to current budgetary funding levels adjusted for inflation, and provided as grants;
• Maintain the ESF as the EU’s core instrument for people-centred investment, aligned with the European Pillar of Social Rights, the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, and the Social Economy Action Plan;
• Preserve current ESF earmarking for social inclusion, child poverty, material deprivation, youth employment, and capacity-building for civil society and social partners;
• Strengthen and mainstream the partnership principle across all EU funds, including direct funds, ensuring meaningful participation of social actors at all levels of governance;
• Reinstate and enforce enabling conditions to ensure EU investments uphold fundamental rights and support implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
• Improve access for small not-for-profit actors through simpler procedures, lighter reporting requirements, stable pre-financing, adequate co-financing, and national helpdesks.

The EUFunds4Social Coalition brings together European social services, NGOs, public health and service providers, lifelong learning and social economy actors, workers, and social partners. It represents millions of organisations, enterprises, and people, including those most excluded in society. Since March 2025, its actions aim to ensure social investment is strengthened, not weakened, in the next EU budget. The priority is ensuring that higher social spending is secured, and resources earmarked in particular for supporting the inclusion of disadvantaged people through the next EU budget.

Read the full statement here.

Supporting Documents

Joint Statement: “100 billion Euros for social spending? The devil’s in the details”

Joint Statement “Time for Ambition: The EU needs a strong Social Fund to live up to its commitments”

Joint statement: “Keep what works: 8 success factors for a future ESF+”

European Commission – what is the ESF+? 

Helpdesk project:  eufunds4social.eu/

EU funds for social services: technical guidance on effective interventions 

MEPs demand a strengthened and separate European Social Fund Plus post-2027

European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs Opinion on the proposal for a Council regulation laying down the Multiannual Financial Framework for the years 2028 to 2034

The EU’s Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021–2030 has driven important progress, including new legislation on the European Disability and Parking Cards and the creation of the AccessibleEU Centre. As the European Commission prepares the next phase of the Strategy, it has launched a public consultation open until 6 February 2026. Autism-Europe welcomes this opportunity and is submitting a response based on the priorities and lived experiences of its members organisations. 

You can access Autism-Europe’s position paper here.  

Why the consultation matters 

The next phase of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 comes at a critical moment. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in April 2025 highlighted ongoing discrimination against autistic people in the European Union and called for targeted action. Despite policy advances, autistic people continue to face significant barriers in education, employment, healthcare, independent living, and freedom of movement. Persistent life expectancy gaps, high unemployment, and continued institutionalisation show that progress remains uneven. 

The European Commission’s consultation on the next phase of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is more than a procedural step: it is a vital chance to shape EU disability policy through 2030, ensuring commitments translate into concrete, rights-based improvements. Broad participation will help make autism visible within the Strategy and ensure the European Union and its member states meet their obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Key demands from the autism community 

Autism-Europe calls for a more ambitious and targeted next phase of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that reflects the realities of autistic people across the European Union. Core priorities include: 

• Awareness and training: EU-wide initiatives to combat stigma, along with compulsory autism and disability-rights training for professionals, both for autism-specific services, but also across all mainstream public sectors:  in education, healthcare, employment, and public services. 

• Independent living and community support: promotion of deinstitutionalisation, increased investment in person-centred community services, and stronger monitoring of EU funds to ensure inclusion rather than segregation. 

• Supported decision-making: EU-level support for Member States to transition from guardianship regimes to systems respecting autonomy, will, and preferences. 

• Freedom of movement and mutual recognition: Harmonised disability assessments and mutual recognition of autism diagnoses across EU countries to ensure full mobility rights. 

• Inclusive education and employment: EU action to promote inclusive education, reduce regional disparities, and address the extremely low employment rates of autistic adults. 

• Wider enforcement of accessibility: Mainstreaming cognitive, sensory, and communication accessibility, including through a permanent EU Accessibility Agency. 

• Participation and accountability: Meaningful involvement of autistic people and representative organisations in Strategy design, implementation, and evaluation, supported by transparent monitoring and data collection. 

How to Participate 

You can respond to the consultation as an individual or as an organisation (or both!). To submit your response: 

1. Register and log in to the consultation portal: Provide Feedback to the Call for Evidence 
2. Select your preferred language. 
3. Choose to complete one or both parts of the consultation: 

• Provide written feedback to the Call for Evidence (short text). You can also upload a position paper. Please feel free to upload the Autism-Europe position paper available at this link, and/or
• Complete the questionnaire

You are not required to do both, but completing both is strongly encouraged. 

A wide, engaged response will not only shape the next phase of the Strategy but also send a strong message that disability rights, including the rights of autistic people, matter. 

Find the main page to answer the consultation. 

On 28 January 2026, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Europe‑wide parliamentary body bringing together elected representatives from the 46 Council of Europe member states in Strasbourg, France, has unanimously rejected a proposed draft additional protocol to the 1997 Oviedo Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, intended to cover involuntary placement and involuntary treatment in mental healthcare services.

PACE had been asked by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, representing the 46 Council of Europe member states, to provide an opinion on the draft protocol to the Oviedo Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, prepared by intergovernmental experts. In its decision, the Assembly warned that adopting such a protocol would “make it more difficult to abolish coercive practices” in mental health settings.

The opinion adopted with 63 votes in favour and 3 abstentions (drafted by rapporteur Carmen Leyte from Spain), acknowledges the need for clear frameworks to regulate exceptional, last‑resort measures. However, PACE strongly recommends that the Committee of Ministers abandon the protocol approach and instead consider a more flexible instrument, such as a recommendation. Crucially, any new instrument must be fully aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), including its general comments and guidelines.

As highlighted by the Assembly, all Council of Europe member states have ratified the UN CRPD, which sets out a paradigm shift toward respecting the autonomy, dignity, and legal capacity of persons with disabilities.

Autism‑Europe welcomes this landmark decision

This opinion confirms what Autism‑Europe, alongside many disability and mental health organisations, has consistently stated for years, that the proposed protocol is not compliant with the UN CRPD.

The Parliamentary Assembly joins strong opposition by civil society, mental health professionals, the Council of Europe’s own Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Council of Europe members like Bulgaria.

Autism‑Europe has been actively involved in the Withdraw Oviedo campaign to abandon the draft additional protocol, together with Mental Health Europe (MHE), the European Disability Forum (EDF), Inclusion Europe (IE), and many other organisations, ensuring that the voices of persons with (psychosocial) disabilities remain central in decisions that directly affect their lives.

Opposition to the draft additional protocol stems from the fact that it would solidify and likely increase the incidence of involuntary placement and treatment in psychiatric care. Forced treatment and placement, or coercion, on the basis of disability constitutes a grave human rights violation. Moreover, it risks ensuring the continued institutionalisation of persons with disabilities. The protocol stands in direct violation of international human rights agreements such as the UN CRPD, posing serious legal conflicts.

Those who seek to advance the protocol ignore its inevitable harms as well as viable alternatives to coercion as outlined in the WHO Quality Rights initiative and the Council of Europe’s Compendium report: Good practices to promote Voluntary Measures in Mental Health Services.  

A clear message for Europe

Autism-Europe joins the call by fellow disability rights and mental health associations on the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to withdraw the draft additional protocol during their next meeting. We are particularly concerned that the latest information we received indicates that the Committee of Ministers intends to ignore the opinion and adopt the additional protocol.

The adoption of this protocol would be damaging for people across Europe. Withdrawing the text will allow Europe to join the turning tide towards human rights-based mental health services and systems.

The way forward: investing in rights‑based, community support

Europe now has an opportunity to choose a different path: one that invests in voluntary, community‑based, person‑centred mental health support that respects autonomy, dignity, and legal capacity.

Anything less would represent a step backwards for human rights.

Autism‑Europe will continue to work with its partners to ensure that mental health policy and practice across Europe are aligned with the UN CRPD and the lived experiences of persons with disabilities.

Watch the PACE debate here.

Read the adopted opinion here.

On 4 and 5 December 2025, the European Commission together with the European Disability Forum (EDF) hosted the European Day of Persons with Disabilities (EDPD) 2025, a flagship event bringing together hundreds of European policymakers, disability organisations, advocates, and experts to advance a more inclusive Europe Union. Autism-Europe (AE) was represented by a delegation raising key community issues on independent living and crisis preparedness for autistic people welcoming the Commission’s continued commitment to the rights of people with disabilities in the European Union.

The European Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025 opened on 4 December with strong political commitment, as Hadja Lahbib, European Commission for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management from Belgium, highlighted the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December and reaffirmed the EU’s dedication to the 2021–2030 Disability Rights Strategy, including the proposed €3.6 billion Agora EU programme. Outgoing EDF President Ioannis Vardakastanis praised the impact of the collective action of the disability community over the years. However, he warned that proposed cuts to social funds in the next EU budget risk affect the disability community, while calling for a clear signal of support from the European Commission.

Discussing the next phase of the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The first panel discussed how to translate the next phase of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 into tangible improvements regarding accessibility, independent living, and equal participation of persons with disabilities in the European Union. Markus Schefer, disability expert with the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) monitoring committee, highlighted the “administrative hurdles” faced by persons with disabilities in exercising freedom of movement in the EU, due to non-portability of benefits and lack of mutual recognition of disability status. An issue that is indeed critical for autistic people given wide variations in access to autism diagnosis and disability recognition across EU Member States. Autism-Europe Council of Administration Member Ettore Foccardi called on the EU to act decisively, as he warned that without dedicated funding to support deinstitutionalisation and staff training, especially for autistic people with high support needs, segregation will persist, underscoring the need for individualised independent living plans.

Example of meaningful use of European funds to support autistic people and their families

The second panel discussed how to make the next EU long-term budget funding disability-inclusive, highlighting how EU financial instruments are crucial to achieving the goals of the Strategy of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030. One example presented is the Cyprus Family Intervention and Support Centre, funded through the European Social Fund+ (ESF+) by 95 per cent until 2027. The centre delivers innovative, individualised home- and community-based support, demonstrating that targeted EU aid can provide holistic, life-changing assistance. A video testimonial from a mother of an autistic child emphasised the centre’s impact, saying it showed her she was not left alone. Maria Toumazou, social policy attaché at Cyprus’ EU permanent representation in Brussels, noted that the centre comes with her country’s first separate National Strategy and Action Plan for Autism. It was approved in April 2024 and covers the entire lifespan, providing tailored interventions for autistic people, complementing Cyprus’s broader National Disability Strategy.

Franck Conrad from the European Commission’s Directorate-General Budget explained that anchoring the European Charter of Fundamental Rights as a horizontal condition in the next EU budget expands coverage and ensures stricter application. This ensures potential funding suspension with incentives for EU Member States to comply, making the system not just punitive but encouraging. Thomas Bignal, Secretary General of the European Association of Service Providers for People with Disabilities, cautioned that simplifying or sidelining the UNCRPD risks misunderstanding its purpose: rather than bureaucracy, it empowers effective use of public funds to benefit people with disabilities.

Zaragoza, Spain, won the 2026 Access City Award

On the second day, 5 December 2025, urban accessibility for people with disabilities took centre stage as the city of Zaragoza, Spain, was awarded the Access City Award 2026 for its investments, legislation, and long-term planning, which include clear standards for streets, transport, public buildings, and services. València, which won second place for its strong leadership and meaningful collaboration with people with disabilities when making buses and metro fully accessible, ensuring 96% of streets and public spaces are barrier-free, and providing digital tools guiding drivers to accessible parking to support independent travel, also received a special mention for accessibility in emergency preparedness.

Preparedness and crisis management

The last panel was precisely dedicated to preparedness and crisis management. It prompted Autism-Europe Council of Administration member Pietro Cirrincione to highlight important gaps across the EU when it comes to autism-friendly emergency management. In this final panel, Ruslan Topchan, a Ukrainian veteran, highlighted rehabilitation challenges in Ukraine, including limited accessible shelters, inclusive warning systems, community-based care, and medical access, stressing that “Inclusiveness is not a privilege; it is a necessary condition for saving lives.” Hans Das from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment that “Crisis preparedness is for everyone,” noting the development of guidelines incorporating disability needs into emergency services and training. Autism-Europe welcomes this focus and urges collaboration with autistic people and other disability communities to ensure all emergency plans are inclusive, pointing to existing good practices such as Catalonia’s regional programme adapting civil protection messages with the autistic community.

More information here

Re-watch the EDPD conference here and here.