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The European elections will happen in May. In the elections, people in Europe will choose new members of the European Parliament. The European Parliament decides on laws for all of Europe. There are many candidates who want to be part of the European Parliament. People with intellectual disabilities want to have a say in the European elections. That is why Inclusion Europe wrote a list of demands for the European elections. This list is called the ‘Manifesto’. The Manifesto tells MEPs about the situation of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. It tells them what the European Parliament should do for people with intellectual disabilities. You can find the Manifesto at this link. |
In view of the upcoming European elections, Inclusion Europe demands equal rights and opportunities for citizens with intellectual disabilities and their families. Inclusion Europe’s Manifesto for the European elections calls on MEP candidates to demonstrate their commitment to equality and non-discrimination for all European citizens and make their electoral campaigns accessible to all voters.
The European Union is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which guarantees equal rights for persons with disabilities, including that of participating in the elections. Nevertheless, many persons with intellectual disabilities will not be able to cast their vote in the upcoming elections. The main reasons include the inaccessibility of electoral information and processes, deprivation of legal capacity and lack of support.
Inclusion Europe is urging candidates and their political parties to support the right of people with intellectual disabilities to take part in the political and public life and to make their electoral programmes and manifestos easy to read and understand.
‘The new European Parliament, representing European citizens with and without a disability, must take the lead in ensuring that people with intellectual disabilities and their families are equally considered in all European policies and programmes.’
The Manifesto highlights six major areas where the support of the new European Parliament is needed to stop discrimination and social exclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities and their families:
- Upholding the right to vote and full participation in political life for all.
- The full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the European Union and beyond.
- Equal recognition before the law and equal access to justice.
- Ensuring that people with intellectual disabilities can live included in their communities.
- Protecting people with disabilities from the destructive consequences of austerity measures put in place by national governments.
- Making goods and services accessible for everyone.
Inclusion Europe invites candidates in the European elections to endorse the Manifesto and show their support for the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities and their families. The campaign counts on wide participation of Inclusion Europe’s member societies and self-advocates in EU Member States who work at national level to raise the awareness of the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities in relation European elections.
The website www.voting-for-all.eu contains the full text of the Manifesto in most EU languages as well as in easy-to-read formats. It invites MEP candidates, member societies of Inclusion Europe and self-advocates to join in, offering a variety of suggestions for concrete actions.
