In this episode of Real Economy, Euronews reporter Paul Hackett visits Ljubljana and Brussels to learn how Europe’s new disability and parking cards aim to make cross-border travel easier and improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
The right to move freely and reside within the EU is a cornerstone of European citizenship. But while this is possible in theory, for many people with disabilities the reality is quite different.
The new European Disability Card, available across the EU, and the updated EU Parking Card for Disabled People aim to solve this problem by allowing users to prove their disability status wherever they are in the EU.
According to the European statistics agency Eurostat, around 101 million people, or 27% of EU citizens aged 16 and over, have a disability.
Eight EU member states – Belgium, Italy, Finland, Malta, Cyprus, Estonia, Slovenia and Romania – have been trialling the European Disability Card since 2016. Following the success of the trial, Brussels pushed for its full introduction across the EU, and a provisional agreement was reached by the European Parliament and the Council on February 8 this year.
MEPs also agreed to update the European Disability Parking Card to a standard EU design to eliminate confusion and fraud caused by a patchwork of national cards.
The agreed text has now been formally adopted by both the Parliament and the Council and is due to be put to a vote at the European Parliament’s final plenary session from 22-25 April.
The European Forum for Disability has described the latest policy developments as a “significant victory” but also stressed that it is only a first step. For example, the new rules only apply to short-term stays of up to three months, except for disability card holders moving to other member states for mobility programs such as Erasmus+.
Moreover, member states have 30 months to adapt to the new rules and a further 12 months to formally implement them, so it could be another three and a half years before the card is available across the EU.
“The card is the first step. The card removes an obstacle when travelling. The card makes travelling easier but it does not allow us to enjoy the rights to move, study or work. We have to do a disability assessment again. Our disability does not travel with us,” Yannis Vardakastanis, president of the European Disability Forum (EDF), told Euronews.
It’s not just about making travel easier
Both cards will replace the national cards currently issued by local authorities. After application, they will be issued in physical or digital form within 90 days, unless a longer medical check is required. Receiving and updating the European Disability Card is free of charge, except if it is lost or damaged.
Cardholders travelling to other EU countries can enjoy discounts on local transport, assistance on trains and other public transport, reduced or free entrance fees, priority access, parking reservations and more.
The new rules also apply to those with support staff or support animals. People who do not have additional support and require further assistance can add the letter “A” to their card and receive additional assistance when presented.
Once providers such as galleries and museums join the scheme, cardholders in other participating countries will have the same rights.
Živa Rogelj, head of education at the National Gallery of Slovenia, explained that they try to make the museum as accessible as possible: “Not only do we offer free admission for people with disabilities, but we also offer free individual guided tours and individual creative workshops.”
Former Paralympian Primoz Jelalic was left almost completely paralyzed from the waist down after a skiing accident at the age of 24. He now uses both cards.
“I’ve been disabled for about 16 years and it was hard to prove my identity, especially when travelling in Europe. Now I have an EU disability card and am easily recognised as disabled,” he told Euronews.
“I have to say that at first I was scared to show my disability card, but I was really surprised because the card is recognised all over Europe. I travel a lot and have used it all over Europe, including Belgium, Italy, Austria, Croatia and Germany.”
Next steps
The National Council of Slovenian Organizations of Disabled People (NSIOS) is calling for the two cards to be combined into one to avoid confusion with local authorities and make travelling less stressful for people with disabilities.
“We want to raise awareness for people with disabilities. Then we want to attract more card providers. And finally, we hope that one day the EU card and the parking card will be merged into one,” said Gaspar Oblak, head of NSIOS.
Pieter Paul Moen is a member of the Belgian EDC Fan Team, a pan-European volunteer organisation working to increase inclusion for people with disabilities. Pieter is autistic and told Euronews that police sometimes mistake his disability for being drunk.
“We want the card to be used by emergency services too. They can use it to liaise with police, ambulances and hospitals in case of panic or stressful situations. In these situations they can prove to doctors and nurses that they are disabled,” he advised.
European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli described the card as a step towards better integration, but acknowledged that it had some limitations.
“This card gives every right that a person with a disability has in a country to any person with a disability who comes to that country. So this recognition is extremely, extremely, extremely important.”
“Of course we have to abide by the treaty and we cannot do more than what we have done so far because that is the prerogative of member states, but it is certainly an improvement over the status quo,” she told Euronews.
EDF has been petitioning for an EU disability card for more than a decade, and while the group agrees that the new rules would increase visibility and acceptance of people with disabilities, it argues that the card does not make migration easier for disabled people who want to live permanently in other member states.
The Disability Card does not cover social security, social assistance or other residence-based social benefits. Disabled people who wish to move long-term to another state lose their right to social security-related benefits in their home country and may have to wait months or even years for their benefits to be processed in their new country of residence.
Nevertheless, Commissioner Dalli explained that the legislative process had been swift, saying: “I am happy to say that this Directive was one of the quickest. No legislation has ever been passed so quickly before. This shows that Member States are enthusiastic about this card, which is very important and will greatly improve the lives of people with disabilities.”
EDF also recommends that cards should not be issued automatically unless a person with a disability requests it or expressly consents to its issuance or renewal, thus removing the obligation for a person with a disability to present the card as proof of disability in order to better access services.
To find out more about the European Disability Card and how to get one, click on this link To watch the episode, click on the video in the media player above.