Activities of Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES related to 2023/0311(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities
Amendments (16)
Amendment 4 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The purpose of the UNCRPD is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect of their inherent dignity, thus ensuring their full and effective participation and inclusion in society on an equal basis with others. In its article 6, the UNCRPD specifically recognises that women and girls with disabilities are subject to multiple discrimination, due in many cases to the intersection of gender and disability, which impacts all spheres of their life including their mobility experiences requiring State parties to “take measures to ensure the full and equal enjoyment by them of all human rights and fundamental freedoms” and ensure the full development, advancement and empowerment of women. Women with disabilities often face intersectional forms of discrimination, and thus EU legislation need to integrate an intersectional approach in order to properly address exclusion and discrimination from a comprehensive, systemic and structural perspective; EU Member States are bound by the UNCRPD, however there are significant differences between the countries’ implementation1a. There is a need to progress on equality for persons with disabilities in all countries, for example through investments in infrastructure, capacity building and awareness raising campaigns. The UNCRPD also recognises the importance of the need to take appropriate measures to ensure universal accessibility to persons with disabilities., as for instance to the ones with functional illiteracy mostly affecting women, especially in regards to the current directive, and to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy personal mobility with the greatest possible independence. (6 a) It is necessary to acknowledge that women and girls with disabilities face increased risk of violence and abuse, including sexual abuse, and have heightened vulnerability on account of their sex, age and disability, (6 b) Figures clearly show that caregivers of disabled people are in their vast majority women and that therefore a gender sensitive approach has to be applied also when considering the caregivers side. __________________ 1a Implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra _uploads/fra-2023-uncrpd-human-rights- indicators_en.pdf
Amendment 4 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The purpose of the UNCRPD is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect of their inherent dignity, thus ensuring their full and effective participation and inclusion in society on an equal basis with others. In its article 6, the UNCRPD specifically recognises that women and girls with disabilities are subject to multiple discrimination, due in many cases to the intersection of gender and disability, which impacts all spheres of their life including their mobility experiences requiring State parties to “take measures to ensure the full and equal enjoyment by them of all human rights and fundamental freedoms” and ensure the full development, advancement and empowerment of women. Women with disabilities often face intersectional forms of discrimination, and thus EU legislation need to integrate an intersectional approach in order to properly address exclusion and discrimination from a comprehensive, systemic and structural perspective; EU Member States are bound by the UNCRPD, however there are significant differences between the countries’ implementation1a. There is a need to progress on equality for persons with disabilities in all countries, for example through investments in infrastructure, capacity building and awareness raising campaigns. The UNCRPD also recognises the importance of the need to take appropriate measures to ensure universal accessibility to persons with disabilities., as for instance to the ones with functional illiteracy mostly affecting women, especially in regards to the current directive, and to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy personal mobility with the greatest possible independence. (6 a) It is necessary to acknowledge that women and girls with disabilities face increased risk of violence and abuse, including sexual abuse, and have heightened vulnerability on account of their sex, age and disability, (6 b) Figures clearly show that caregivers of disabled people are in their vast majority women and that therefore a gender sensitive approach has to be applied also when considering the caregivers side. __________________ 1a Implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra _uploads/fra-2023-uncrpd-human-rights- indicators_en.pdf
Amendment 5 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6 a) (6a) Whereas data from the European Institute for Gender Equality1a shows that in the EU, 20% of women with disabilities are in full-time employment, comparing to 29% of men with disabilities and 48% of women without disabilities. 22% of women with disabilities are at risk of poverty, comparing to 20% of men with disabilities and 16% of women without disabilities. 17% of women with disabilities graduate tertiary education, comparing to 18% of men with disabilities and 32% of women without disabilities. 11% of women with disabilities have unmet needs for medical examination, comparing to 10% men with disabilities and 3% women without disabilities; whereas there are approximately 46 million women and girls with disabilities in the EU, comprising about 16% of its total female population and representing 60% of the overall population of persons with disabilities1b; therefore a gender- sensitive approach has to be applied when establishing a European Disability Card, and following the specific recommendations adopted by the CRPD Committee on the initial report of the EU in 2015, in particular, the mainstreaming of women and girls with disabilities perspective must be at the centre of the EU Gender Equality strategy, together with policies and programmes and a gender perspective in its Disabilities strategy. The Committee also recommended that the European Union develops actions to advance the rights of women and girls with disabilities by establishing a mechanism to monitor progress and support funding data collection and research on women and girls with disabilities1c; whereas the European Commission and EU Member States shall ensure that gender disaggregated data is collected to elaborate a gender impact assessment of the Directive and guarantee its gender- mainstreamed revision in the future. __________________ 1a Intersecting inequalities in the European Union in the 2023 Gender Equality Index https://eige.europa.eu/gender-equality- index/2022/domain/intersecting- inequalities/disability/work 1b https://www.edf-feph.org/women-and- gender-equality/ 1c Concluding observations on the initial report of the European Union CRPD/C/EU/CO/1, Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2 October 2015.
Amendment 5 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6 a) (6a) Whereas data from the European Institute for Gender Equality1a shows that in the EU, 20% of women with disabilities are in full-time employment, comparing to 29% of men with disabilities and 48% of women without disabilities. 22% of women with disabilities are at risk of poverty, comparing to 20% of men with disabilities and 16% of women without disabilities. 17% of women with disabilities graduate tertiary education, comparing to 18% of men with disabilities and 32% of women without disabilities. 11% of women with disabilities have unmet needs for medical examination, comparing to 10% men with disabilities and 3% women without disabilities; whereas there are approximately 46 million women and girls with disabilities in the EU, comprising about 16% of its total female population and representing 60% of the overall population of persons with disabilities1b; therefore a gender- sensitive approach has to be applied when establishing a European Disability Card, and following the specific recommendations adopted by the CRPD Committee on the initial report of the EU in 2015, in particular, the mainstreaming of women and girls with disabilities perspective must be at the centre of the EU Gender Equality strategy, together with policies and programmes and a gender perspective in its Disabilities strategy. The Committee also recommended that the European Union develops actions to advance the rights of women and girls with disabilities by establishing a mechanism to monitor progress and support funding data collection and research on women and girls with disabilities1c; whereas the European Commission and EU Member States shall ensure that gender disaggregated data is collected to elaborate a gender impact assessment of the Directive and guarantee its gender- mainstreamed revision in the future. __________________ 1a Intersecting inequalities in the European Union in the 2023 Gender Equality Index https://eige.europa.eu/gender-equality- index/2022/domain/intersecting- inequalities/disability/work 1b https://www.edf-feph.org/women-and- gender-equality/ 1c Concluding observations on the initial report of the European Union CRPD/C/EU/CO/1, Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2 October 2015.
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 5
Article 6 – paragraph 5
5. The European Disability Card shall be issued as a physical card and shall be complemented by a digital format upon adoption of the delegated acts referred to in paragraph 7. Persons with disabilities shall be given the option to use either the digital or physical card, or both. The process to request and acquire a European Disability Card issued by Member States shall be designed in a simplified way. For the persons with disabilities applying for the card, an option could be for example to list on the back of the card their specific requirements. In that way there should not be any physical nor digital barrier for granting their equal access to the free of charge issuance or renewal of the card. It is important to guarantee its full accessibility and usability by all people with disabilities, especially by women and girls with disabilities who are particularly at risk of being digitally excluded.
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 5
Article 6 – paragraph 5
5. The European Disability Card shall be issued as a physical card and shall be complemented by a digital format upon adoption of the delegated acts referred to in paragraph 7. Persons with disabilities shall be given the option to use either the digital or physical card, or both. The process to request and acquire a European Disability Card issued by Member States shall be designed in a simplified way. For the persons with disabilities applying for the card, an option could be for example to list on the back of the card their specific requirements. In that way there should not be any physical nor digital barrier for granting their equal access to the free of charge issuance or renewal of the card. It is important to guarantee its full accessibility and usability by all people with disabilities, especially by women and girls with disabilities who are particularly at risk of being digitally excluded.
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6 a) There are approximately 46 million women and girls with disabilities in the EU, comprising about 16% of its total female population and representing 60% of the overall population of persons with disabilities; whereas therefore a gender-sensitive approach has to be applied when establishing a European Disability Card, in order to ensure the full development, advancement and empowerment of women, and girls and their enjoyment of fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Amendment 55 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6 b (new)
Recital 6 b (new)
(6 b) It is necessary to acknowledge that women and girls with disabilities suffer from double discrimination due to the intersection of gender and disability, and may often even be exposed to multiple other forms of discrimination.
Amendment 56 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6 c (new)
Recital 6 c (new)
(6 c) It is necessary to acknowledge that women and girls with disabilities are more likely to experience violence and abuse, including sexual abuse, and have heightened vulnerability on account of their sex, age and disability.
Amendment 57 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6 d (new)
Recital 6 d (new)
(6 d) Figures clearly show that carers of disabled people are in their vast majority women and that therefore a gender approach has to be applied also when considering the carers side.
Amendment 130 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 5
Article 6 – paragraph 5
5. The European Disability Card shall be issued as a physical card and shall be complemented by a digital format upon adoption of the delegated acts referred to in paragraph 7. The digital format must take into consideration that persons with disability, in particular women and girls, are particularly at risk of being digitally excluded. Persons with disabilities shall be given the option to use either the digital or physical card, or both.
Amendment 132 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 5 a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. The process to request and acquire a European Disability Card issued by Member States shall be designed in a simplified and universal way, ensuring there are no barriers preventing equal access, in order to guarantee accessibility and usability by all people with disabilities, especially by women and girls with disabilities who are more prone to being digitally excluded, meaning that they can equally perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the process as much as necessary, either by physical or digital means.
Amendment 143 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 6
Article 7 – paragraph 6
6. The European Parking Card for persons with disabilities shall be issued or renewed as a physical card and shall be complemented by a digital format upon adoption of the delegated acts referred to in paragraph 7. The digital format must take into consideration that persons with disability, in particular women and girls, are particularly at risk of being digitally excluded. Persons with disabilities shall be given the option to use either the digital or physical card, or both.
Amendment 144 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 6 a (new)
Article 7 – paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. The process to request and acquire a European Parking Card for persons with disabilities issued by Member States shall be designed in a simplified and universal way, ensuring there are no barriers preventing equal access, in order to guarantee accessibility and usability by all people with disabilities, meaning that they can equally perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the process as much as necessary, either by physical or digital means.
Amendment 152 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 2
Article 9 – paragraph 2
2. Member States shall take appropriate measures to raise awareness among the public and inform persons with disabilities, including in accessible and gender-inclusive ways, about the existence and conditions to obtain, use, or renew the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities.
Amendment 156 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 6 a (new)
Article 9 – paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Member States shall collect gender-disaggregated data in order to identify the forms of multiple discrimination that are faced by women and girls with disabilities when accessing special conditions or preferential treatment with respect to services, activities or facilities, or parking conditions and facilities offered to or reserved for persons with disabilities or person(s) accompanying or assisting them including their personal assistant(s), in compliance with the obligations deriving from the European Disability Card or European Parking Card for persons with disabilities.