You are a disabled citizen

The European Parliament and citizens with disabilities

The European Parliament plays a crucial role at EU level to defend the interests and promote the rights of EU citizens in all areas of life. Since the last 10 years, citizens with disabilities can benefit in their daily lives from positive developments in the European Union.

Why is it important to participate in the European elections?

The European Parliament has the responsibility to work for and protect the rights of all its citizens, with no distinction.
In a Manifesto, the European Disability Forum, the representative voice of persons with disabilities, calls the political parties and future Members of the European Parliament to commit to advance our rights :

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the right to equal access for voting
the right to equal access and opportunities in education
the right to equal treatment in employment
the right to social protection, social security and a decent income
the right to live independently in the community and make own choices in life
the right to access goods and services, public transport, buildings and other public infrastructure, information and communication tools
the right to access information and communication technologies and services
the right to access products and services for daily use

Your voice in the European Parliament

Disabled photo Copyright APF The European Parliamentary election is the most important direct democratic process in the European Union to elect the Members of the Parliament who will be YOUR voice and the voice of the 515 million citizens in all decisions taken at EU level, including the more than 50 million citizens with disabilities.

How to make your choice for a candidate MEP or political party ?
On this website you will two ways to find out about those candidates or those political parties who best commit to promote disability rights :

The section “European Parliament elections in EU 27” offers you direct links to the candidates and national parties in your country
The section “European parties electoral programmes” offers you an analysis of the disability dimension of the respective European parties programmes

The right to vote is a fundamental human right
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The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which entered into force in 2008 legally supports the right of citizens with disabilities :

to fully exert their voting rights and their rights to be informed on the candidates and their electoral programmes
to vote must be free and resulting from an informed choice with no undue influence
to vote wherever they live, including those persons living in residential institutions
to vote in secret autonomously or with the help of a personal assistance if needed
to benefit from accessible voting venues, procedures and debates
to benefit from material and information delivered in fully accessible formats such as large print, braille, electronic format, sign language, easy-to-read language, subtitled television programmes and audio-description.

Read more on accessibility of elections and electoral campaign on the page “you are an electoral authority”