The obligations of the EU public administration under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: European Implementation Assessment

Detaljna analiza 14-03-2016

As parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), both the European Union and its Member States are obliged to implement and safeguard the set of fundamental rights enshrined in the Convention. Full compliance with the Convention is required also by the state parties' public administrations, including the EU public administration, made up of its institutions, bodies and agencies. The UN CRPD Committee's 'Concluding Observations' of September 2015, which marked the end of the first round of the review process, include a number of recommendations addressed to the EU public administration, touching upon employment, reasonable accommodation, accessibility, access to justice, the European Schools and the Community health insurance scheme. The CRPD Committee calls on the EU institutions to become a role model, both with regard to employment of persons with disabilities, and in its interaction with the public. This paper analyses the legal framework and policies the EU institutions have in place with regard to disability rights, and which have been to some extent prompted, or at least influenced, by the CRPD. It also assesses the progress made in the institutions' compliance with the CRPD, notably in the areas addressed in the UN 'Concluding Observations'.