As the European Parliament meets for the first time after elections, Autism-Europe and other disability organisations call on the MEPs to establish again the Disability Intergroup.
The Disability Intergroup has been important during the previous years to coordinate political action from different political groups and ensure that the Parliament lives up to the UN CRPD and the expectations of people with disabilities across the EU.
During the European Disability Forum (EDF)’s General Assembly, that took place on 1-2 June, representatives of disability organisations active across the European Union, including Autism-Europe, approved a resolution calling for the reestablishment of the Intergroup following the European Elections.
EDF calls on the political groups in the European Parliament and the newly elected Members of the European Parliament:
- To support the re-establishment of the Disability Intergroup, constituted MEPs from all Member States and from all pro-European political forces.
- To ensure that this Disability Intergroup is committed to actively mainstream the rights of persons with disabilities, including women and girls with disabilities, in the work of the European Parliament, and that the Parliament itself becomes a more inclusive and accessible institution to all persons with disabilities- including staff, visitors, elected representatives and all EU residents.
- To ensure that the European Disability Forum continues to provide the secretariat for the Disability Intergroup, in line with article 4.3 of the UN CRPD and the motto of the disability movement “nothing about us, without us”, ensuring a strong ongoing collaboration between organisations of persons with disabilities and Disability Intergroup members.
Autism-Europe echoes this call on MEPs: having the Disability Intergroup foster the realisation of disabled people’s rights and support the objectives of its manifesto. Autism-Europe strongly encourage its members and network to call on their newly elected MEPs to support the establishment of the Disability Intergroup and to join it.