Ahead of the EU elections, this report explores the political participation of people with disabilities. Although some Member States removed restrictions on the right to vote and to stand for elections, barriers still exist. This report is an update of new developments following FRA’s last report published in 2014. It sets out ways forward to ensure people with disabilities have equal opportunities, in line with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Ahead of the EU elections, this report explores the political participation of people with disabilities. Although some Member States removed restrictions on the right to vote and to stand for elections, barriers still exist. This report is an update of new developments following FRA’s last report published in 2014. It sets out ways forward to ensure people with disabilities have equal opportunities, in line with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The right to vote is at the heart of what it means
to live in a democratic society. However, legislation
sets out a number of restrictions on this right. With a view to the European Parliament elections in
2019, this paper presents developments in the situation
of the right to vote for people deprived of legal
capacity in the EU.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities commits both the EU and all of its Member States to realising the right of persons with disabilities to live independently in the community – which includes achieving deinstitutionalisation for those residing in institutional settings. But much remains to be done to make this a reality in practice. This report presents the main insights gained during fieldwork on the drivers of and barriers to deinstitutionalisation. Focusing on the local level, it gives voice to a diverse set of actors – most importantly, to people with disabilities themselves.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
(FRA) wanted to contribute to making steps to implement
deinstitutionalisation more effective, by capturing
concrete evidence of what is and what is
not working on the ground. To do this, the agency
conducted extensive fieldwork research in five EU
Member States at different stages of the deinstitutionalisation
process.
This summary report presents the key findings of
that fieldwork and the FRA opinions stemming from
them.

EU Member States, and the EU itself have ratified
the CRPD, committing themselves to achieving independent
living for persons with disabilities. Doing so
requires a meaningful and sustainable shift from institutional
to community-based living arrangements. This
publication summarises the findings from the three
FRA reports focusing on different aspects of deinstitutionalisation.

Η ευρωπαϊκή νομοθεσία κατά των διακρίσεων, η οποία αποτελείται ειδικότερα από τις οδηγίες
της ΕΕ κατά των διακρίσεων, καθώς και από το άρθρο 14 και το δωδέκατο πρωτόκολλο της
Ευρωπαϊκής Σύμβασης των Δικαιωμάτων του Ανθρώπου απαγορεύει τις διακρίσεις σε διάφορους
τομείς και για διάφορους λόγους. Το παρόν εγχειρίδιο εξετάζει την ευρωπαϊκή νομοθεσία κατά
των διακρίσεων, όπως αυτή απορρέει από τις δύο αυτές πηγές που λειτουργούν συμπληρωματικά
μεταξύ τους, παραπέμποντας αδιακρίτως και στις δύο όποτε αυτές αλληλοεπικαλύπτονται,
επισημαίνοντας, όμως, ταυτόχρονα, τυχόν διαφορές τους.

This report looks at what the EU and the 28 countries have agreed to do to move people with disabilities from living in institutions to living in their local community with support.

This report looks at the money that is needed to help people move from living in institutions to living in their local community with support.

This report looks at the lives of people with disabilities who are living independently in their local community.

The transition from institution- to community-based support for persons with disabilities is a complex process that requires multifaceted efforts. These include putting in place commitments and structures for achieving deinstitutionalisation and measuring outcomes for persons with disabilities. This report shows that effectively funding the deinstitutionalisation process is a vital element.